SNL’s Non-Binary Cast Member Speaks Out for Trans Rights

Saturday Night Live (SNL) has never been one to shy away from tackling important social issues, and the show’s latest episode was no different, with non-binary cast member Molly Kearney making a powerful statement in support of trans rights.

Kearney made the statement during the “Weekend Update” segment on 15 April, when Kearney was introduced as “SNL’s first non-binary cast member.”

Kearney was then lowered from the ceiling – after joking about wanting to fly down from the ceiling for a while, before getting straight to the point, slamming states that have passed sweeping legislation targeting gender-affirming healthcare for trans kids.

Introducing SNL’s first non-binary cast member, it’s @MEATBRICKMOLLY! pic.twitter.com/tSs2snpHvk

— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) April 16, 2023

“For some reason, there’s something about the word ‘trans’ that makes people forget the word ‘kids’,” Kearney said. “If you don’t care about trans kids’ lives, that means you don’t frickin’ care about kids’ lives.”

Kearney went on to say that people “need to wake up” because trans kids are being forced to “grow up too fast” when they should be “kept safe” and “lifted up”. They directed part of their passionate speech towards trans kids who are scared in the wake of such hateful legislation.

“What’s happening kids is wrong, and you don’t need to be scared,” Kearney said. “Our job is to protect you, and your job is to focus on being a kid.”

Kearney ended their appearance on the SNL segment by screaming “trans rights” as confetti in the colours of the trans Pride flag rained down around them.

Kearney’s statement comes at a time when hundreds of anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in the US, with most of these bills directly impacting trans youth.

In the first four months of 2023, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) tracked and opposed more than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in state legislatures across the US. More than 210 of those measures specifically attack trans rights, and it’s the highest number of bills targeting trans people in a single year to date that the HRC’s seen.

Many of these bills would prevent trans youth from accessing gender-affirming healthcare. Such treatments have been endorsed by leading medical bodies like the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association as medically necessary and best-practice healthcare.

Disturbingly 14 states – including Utah, Arkansas, Alabama, Indiana, Tennessee and Georgia – have severely restricted or outright banned gender-affirming care for trans youth.

Last Updated on Apr 17, 2023