Dulce Sloan kicked off her week of temp hosting Comedy Central’s The Daily Show on Monday by welcoming season 15 winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Sasha Colby on to the program to claim there is a connection between opposition to drag shows and the murder of transgenders.
Sloan began by asking, “Now as women of color, especially, we always have to worry about representation, right? And I know you want to be an example of a happy trans person in the media. Why is that important to you?”
Colby responded by arguing the “media has been concerned with a lot of the time is telling the transition story, telling the trauma, telling the effect that it did on the family, but not showing why we go through all of that. And how happy-- being so adamant about making yourself feel comfortable in your own skin, that’s the whole reason why we do the transition. It isn't to hurt or harm or traumatize our families or anyone else. It is to be our true, happy selves and we are missing that a lot.”
The idea that the media won’t focus on Colby’s definition of happiness is absurd, but not nearly as absurd as the assertion that “There are so many happy, well-adjusted, loving trans people, but you only see us getting murdered and beaten.”
Before anybody could ask what on earth Colby was talking about, Sloan asked “Now you won Drag Race at a time where drag is being politicized for absolutely no reason. What do you think they are really trying to do?”
Ignoring all the viral videos of sexualized performances with children present, Colby reached for the typical liberal accusation that “It's always about these white men, kind of, trying to control people's bodies.”
Colby then returned to the murder talking point, “And I always notice that these guys, they’re not really killing a lot of, like, trans men. There’s a lot of trans women being murdered. That is because these men objectify trans women as much as they objectify cis women.”
The idea that people who don’t like drag shows are going around murdering people is outrageous and false, yet Colby insisted people are just jealous, “So once they objectify you, and you are living your truth, they get so mad because they are, one, jealous they're not living their truth. And two, because it makes them question, why do I like this? But why do you have to question that? Why does that have to be a thing, you know?”
With the late night comedy shows about to shutting down due to the writers’ strike, it may be a while before they are able to distribute their wisdom to the masses. Based on Monday’s performance, that is a good thing.
This segment was sponsored by Liberty Mutual.
Here is a transcript for the May 1 show:
Comedy Central The Daily Show
5/1/2023
11:29 PM ET
DULCE SLOAN: Now as women of color, especially, we always have to worry about representation, right? And I know you want to be an example of a happy trans person in the media. Why is that important to you?
SASHA COLBY: Well, all that media has been concerned with a lot of the time is telling the transition story--
SLOAN: Right.
COLBY: -- Telling the trauma, telling the effect that it did on the family, but not showing why we go through all of that. And how happy-- being so adamant about making yourself feel comfortable in your own skin, that’s the whole reason why we do the transition. It isn't to hurt or harm or traumatize our families or anyone else. It is to be our true, happy selves and we are missing that a lot.
And I don't want it to get, like, misconstrued that I want to be a representation of only, "I’m a happy trans person."
SLOAN: Right.
COLBY: There are so many happy, well-adjusted, loving trans people, but you only see us getting murdered and beaten.
SLOAN: Yes.
COLBY: So to be able to normalize the fact that you probably have come into contact with three or four trans people every day and not even know it.
SLOAN: Right.
COLBY: Because we are everywhere and we’re not going anywhere.
SLOAN: Now you won Drag Race at a time where drag is being politicized for absolutely no reason. What do you think they are really trying to do?
COLBY: It's always about these white men, kind of, trying to control people's bodies.
SLOAN: Right.
COLBY: And I always notice that these guys, they’re not really killing a lot of, like, trans men. There’s a lot of trans women being murdered. That is because these men objectify trans women as much as they objectify cis women.
SLOAN: Yes.
COLBY: So once they objectify you, and you are living your truth, they get so mad-
SLOAN: Yes.
COLBY: --because they are, one, jealous they're not living their truth.
SLOAN: Yes.
And two, because it makes them question, why do I like this? But why do you have to question that? Why does that have to be a thing, you know?
