It would not be an episode of Real Time with Bill Maher unless the comedian got openly transphobic at some point during the broadcast.

While I came back online to the news about John Mulaney, I didn’t see anything in the entertainment trades about Bill Maher. I probably didn’t scroll back far enough. Oh, well. This doesn’t change the fact that Warner Bros. Discovery doesn’t just have a J.K. Rowling problem. They have a Bill Maher problem, too. Both are transphobic and damaging to the overall company brand. The fact that rumors persist that David Zaslav wants to meet with Rowling is incredibly disappointing to say the least. Why would any company CEO want to meet with transphobic bigots? It sends a terrible message if you ask me.

I’m transgender. Bill Maher probably does not know the first thing about being transgender. He almost certaonly doesn’t. I knew something was off during puberty. If it were not for the education and awareness that came as a result of Transparent and the Trans Tipping Point, I would probably still be in the closet today. Perhaps there are more visible transgender children in California because the state is more accepting of trans kids than in Ohio. It’s the difference between living in a blue state and red state. All over the country, the red states are viciously attacking transgender rights. Look at states like Texas and Florida right now! They are not the only states making it harder for transgender residents but are among the worst.

When states are criminalizing gender-affirming care for their transgender residents, they start looking no different than the Nazis. The anti-trans laws are laws that one would have found in Nazi Germany. Nobody in the right mind would predict the same laws would make their way to the United States. Is this also not a country that prides itself on religious freedom and all other sorts of freedoms? If so, why is it that all this states want to make it impossible to live as an American?!?

If this spike in trans children is all biological, why is it regional? Either Ohio is shaming them or California is creating them. pic.twitter.com/t3Tx23MOsu

— Bill Maher (@billmaher) May 21, 2022

If you recall a few years ago, Maher placed the blame for Clinton’s 2016 loss on transgender rights. After this newest rant on Friday night, GLAAD responded on Twitter:

This is not the first time Bill Maher has spouted inaccurate, anti-trans rhetoric. But this time he's targeting youth. Pundits who fearmonger about trans youth and surgeries need to learn the facts. It's not a trend. It's not a phase. Youth are not rushed into medical transition.

— GLAAD (@glaad) May 21, 2022

Once again we share statements from major medical associations about evidence-based gender affirming care for trans youth. https://t.co/dG8lRKrzvA

— GLAAD (@glaad) May 21, 2022

It's disingenuous to say you are simply "asking questions," and then provide inaccurate answers that parrot anti-trans activists seeking to harm trans people. Parents who listen to their kids, doctors, and every major medical association, know more than comedians like Bill Maher.

— GLAAD (@glaad) May 21, 2022

If David Zaslav means business with cutting spending, he should get rid of Bill Maher while he’s at it. Transphobic bigotry will not help the overall company brand.

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