On Sunday, NBC Nightly News continued the onslaught of liberal fretting with a segment about gays and transgender people “fearing change” under President-elect Donald Trump such as gay marriages being overturned (despite Trump making clear on CBS that the matter is settled) and the “quick movement toward transgender rights” being set “to slow down” due to Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence.
Sunday anchor Kate Snow reported leading into Justice correspondent Pete Williams that Trump’s “pledge is to undo many of President Obama's executive actions could have an immediate impact on legal protections for transgender Americans” that has “a lot of people in the LGBT community worried about what's happening next.”
After Williams touted a newly-married lesbian couple rushing to get married while Barack Obama was still President, he argued that gay marriage could be in jeopardy if a liberal justice retires and Trump could swung the Court with enough judges who back traditional marriage.
“But Trump could derail a current push for transgender rights. The Supreme Court will soon hear the case of Gavin Grim, a Virginia high school senior born female who identifies as male. He wants the school to let him use the bathroom that matches his gender identity,” Williams added in turning to transgender people.
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He explained how the lower courts have ruled in favor of the student using a memo from Obama’s Department of Education that could easily be altered and/or rescinded under a Republican administration.
Only in the final seconds of the segment did Williams acknowledge that Trump’s had “mixed” views about the gay community but neglected to mention how Trump told NBC’s Today on April 21 that he supported transgender people using whichever bathroom they so choose.
Nonetheless, he concluded that “Vice President-elect Mike Pence opposed gay marriage on religious grounds and has taken a much tougher line” so taken all together, “[t]here’s little doubt that quick movement toward transgender rights is about to slow down.”
CBS’s 60 Minutes applied much the same sort of wallowing in the next hour as Lesley Stahl obsessed to Trump himself over the chances that Roe v. Wade will be overturned.
The transcript of the segment from NBC Nightly News with Kate Snow on November 13 can be found below.
NBC Nightly News with Kate Snow
November 13, 2016
6:34 p.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Fearing Change]
KATE SNOW: President-elect Trump promised to make a lot of changes, if elected. His pledge is to undo many of President Obama's executive actions could have an immediate impact on legal protections for transgender Americans and as our Justice correspondent Pete Williams explains, Trump's election had a lot of people in the LGBT community worried about what's happening next.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Many in LGBT Community Fear Changes Under Trump]
PETE WILLIEMS: Zoey Gould and Madison Grabuois talked about getting married someday, but rushed to get it done this weekend after Donald Trump’s election.
ZOE GOULD: I really wanted us to feel like we can get married under an administration that made us feel very comfortable and really welcome in America.WILLIAMS: One of Trump's first act in office will be nominating a replacement for Supreme Court Justice Scalia. Replacing a conservative with a conservative would not change the course's make up so gay marriage would not be in trouble unless any of liberal justices retire and Trump gets to name their replacements. But Trump could derail a current push for transgender rights. The Supreme Court will soon hear the case of Gavin Grim, a Virginia high school senior born female who identifies as male. He wants the school to let him use the bathroom that matches his gender identity.
GAVIN GRIM: I did not set out to make waves. I set out to use the bathroom.
WILLIAMS: The lower court ruled for him, saying transgender students are covered under a law called title IX the forbids sex discrimination in public schools. The rulings were based on the Department of Education memo that said “gender identity” is the same as sex. The transgender identity fear that is trump's Education Department may declare that reading of the law invalid.
TOM GOLDSTEIN: If, as you would expect, the Trump administration reverses this course, their argument kind of falls apart and so, you would not expect anything like a win at the supreme court.
WILLIAMS: Trump's own statements, about gays and transgender rights are mixed.
TRUMP [in April 2011]: I know many, many gay people and tremendous people and to be honest, with you, it’s as far as civil unions are concerned, I haven’t totally formed my opinion, but there can be no discrimination against gays.
WILLIAMS: But Vice President-elect Mike Pence opposed gay marriage on religious grounds and has taken a much tougher line. There’s little doubt that quick movement toward transgender rights is about to slow down. Pete Williams, NBC News, Washington.
