Actor Will Ferrell recently weighed in on the national transgender debate, stating that “we fear what we don’t know.”
In promoting his new Netflix documentary “Will & Harper,” he shares a road trip journey with his friend Harper Steele, who came out as transgender. The film explores the evolving dynamics of their friendship and the challenges Steele faces in public spaces post-transition.
Ferrell acknowledged the “dangers” faced by transgender individuals, emphasizing that he does not view them as threatening.
The backdrop of their story reflects a nation divided on gender identity, with recent Pew Research data showing that a significant majority (65%) of U.S. voters believe gender is determined by biological sex at birth.
Steele expressed anxiety about her acceptance in spaces she once frequented and criticized politicians for exploiting the transgender issue for political gain.
American Faith reported in 2022 that two-hundred-fifty Hollywood celebrities previously signed an open letter calling for companies to censor those who oppose transgender surgeries on children.
The letter was sent to the CEOs of Meta, YouTube, TikTok and Twitter by GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).
The letter reads, “There has been a massive systemic failure to prohibit hate, harassment, and malicious anti-LGBTQ disinformation on your platforms and it must be addressed,” going on to say that posts against “transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming people” are “dangerous.”
Such content contributes to the “sharp increase in real-world anti-transgender targeting and violence.”
The letter then calls for the CEOs to “urgently take action to protect trans and LGBTQ users on your platforms (including protecting us from over-enforcement and censorship).”
One of the “widespread mode[s] of hate speech across all platforms, utilized to bully and harass prominent public figures while simultaneously expressing hatred and contempt” is “misgendering,” according to the letter.
The letter then insists upon knowing what the CEOs will do with “Content that spreads malicious lies and disinformation about medically necessary healthcare for transgender youth.”