Transcript:
Caitlyn Jenner (recording): “finally I have a message for President Trump from one Republican to another: this is a disaster and you can still fix it. You made a promise to protect the LGBTQ community. Call me”
Host: “Some tough words there from transgender icon Caitlyn Jenner who is adding her voice to the growing number of critics taking aim at president Trump for reversing Obama administration guidelines that allow transgender public school students to use the bathrooms of their choice. Let’s bring in transgender activist Candis Cox. Candis, thank you very much for being with me today.”
Candis Cox: “Thank You Stephanie, glad to be here.”
Host: “What does Caitlyn Jenner’s voice do for this discussion?”
Candis Cox: “I think it’s extremely imperative because Caitlyn, as we know, at one point in time was a very outspoken supporter of the Republican Party and for president Trump, and I think that having Caitlyn to even step forward and say “from one Republican to another we have to do something and this is unacceptable”[sic] hopefully it doesn’t fall on deaf ears.”
Host: “Candis, White House press secretary Sean Spicer weighed in, he was asked about this reversal of transgender bathroom guidelines; take a listen to what he said”
Sean Spicer (recording): “The president was asked at one point Caitlyn Jenner was in Trump Tower and he said that’s great that’s that’s consistent with everything he said it’s a states rights issue and then that’s entirely what he believes that if a state wants to pass a law rule or an organization wants to do something in compliance with the state well that’s their right but it shouldn’t be the federal government getting in the way of this.”[sic]
Host: “What do you make of that argument? That this is a state issue?”
Candis Cox: “Well, you know, I think that that is passing the buck, if you will, by just trying to say that it’s a state issue. We saw with desegregation the federal government intervened and I think that no one today would argue to say that it should be left up to the individual states to decide whether or not separate but equal is acceptable. I think this is a really similar argument that we can’t say it’s up to the state whether or not they want to offer equal rights to their citizens because we are citizens of this country and anytime that you’re talking about equal rights how on earth can you say we’re going to leave it up to the state whether or not they want to give equal rights and equal protection to their citizens that’s that’s what that sounds like to me when I heard that that makes no sense.”
Host: “Well what recourse to transgender advocates have when it comes to this decision by the Trump administration? What can you do now?”
Candis Cox: “What we have to do now is we really have to step our game up, we really must educate the population. One thing that I have really been pushing is that throughout all of the dialogue between bathroom access and equal rights for LGBTQ, but in particular transgender individuals, is that we have talked about the rights of everyone else… of cisgender men and women, and young girls in locker rooms, we have yet to talk about what it means to be transgender, what transgender Americans really look like, what are the needs of transgender Americans, and what threat, which there’s none, that we have posed to safety, and that’s something that we haven’t talked about and that’s what we really have to start talking about more now. It is up to us to educate the voting population so that hopefully in 2018, and then 2020, they’re able to send a message that says that they’re educated and they don’t fall for this scare tactic and the rhetoric that we’re seeing currently coming out of the White House.”
Host: “Alright, Candis Cox, thank you so much for joining me.”
