John Oliver backs trans athletes in angry rant while criticizing Kamala Harris' campaign
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Comedian John Oliver called out progressive Democrats for blaming "woke" politics for Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 general election while they sidelined issues such as transgender rights in the campaign for Kamala Harris, during an aggravated rant on the episode of 'Last Week Tonight' that aired on November 10.
Though critics have accused the Democrats of swinging too far to the left, Oliver rightly pointed out that the Harris campaign tried their best to appeal to the right as well, with the vice president making multiple campaign appearances with Liz Cheney, daughter of Republican royalty Dick Cheney.
However, when it came to trans rights, the Democrats were woefully silent, with the star-studded Democratic National Convention that took place in Chicago in August featuring no trans speakers.
John Oliver formulates a response to Republicans' attacks on trans athletes
In his show, John Oliver noted that the GOP poured over $215 million into anti-trans advertising which amounted to roughly for every transgendered person in the United States.
However, there was no effective counter from the Democrats for arguments by conservatives such as trans athletes getting unfair advantages in women's sports.
John Oliver explains how Democrats can respond to the trans issue.
— Richard Hanania (@RichardHanania) November 15, 2024
All they need to do is tell people there's no evidence that trans girls are at an unfair advantage or pose a threat to safety in athletic competition. pic.twitter.com/ndbpgfVaci
"Regarding youth sports, there were a lot of ads on that one issue and it was frustrating to see the Harris campaign fail to formulate a response, especially because it is pretty easy to do," said the host, adding "Watch, I'll do it for you right now."
"There are vanishingly few trans girls competing in high schools anywhere. Even if there were more, trans kids like all kids, vary in athletic ability and there is no evidence they pose any threat to safety or fairness," he continued.
"It is very weird for you to be so focused on this subject. And finally, if you genuinely want to address the biggest concern for most girls who play high school sports, you'd be less worried about this and more about the creepy assistant volleyball coach who keeps liking their posts on f**king Instagram."
"The bigger point is, at least based on what we know now, anyone pointing the blame for the election result at one specific demographic is missing the mark," reflected Oliver, noting that there was an "across-the-board shift to the right" on Election Day.
2024 general election gave the US first openly trans member of Congress
In the end, John Oliver also shared a small victory in the progress of trans rights, with Delaware electing the first openly trans member of Congress.
"Around the country, at least 35 trans and otherwise gender-expansive candidates won races in places like Montana, Hawaii, and Kentucky, where Emma Curtis was elected to the Lexington city council. And that is a big deal," noted Oliver optimistically.
"It is a powerful thing to have one group saying, 'I don't think you should exist,' and to be able to respond with, 'I am literally an elected official,'" he concluded.
