THE BREAKFAST CLUB, A
RADIO SHOW IN NEW YORK, IS KNOWN FOR BEING PROVOCATIVE AND EDGY.
RECENTLY THE SHOW GOT A LOT OF CRITICISM AFTER THEY INVITED
LIL DUVOL ONTO THEIR PROGRAM.
HE IS A COMEDIAN.
THEY HAD A
CONVERSATION ABOUT TRUMP'S TRANSGENDER BAN IN THE MILITARY.
THAT TOPIC SNOWBALLED INTO SOMETHING THAT WAS IRRESPONSIBLE
AND OFFENSIVE TO SAY THE LEAST.
LIL DUVOL WAS ASKED WHAT HE
THOUGHT AND HE DIDN'T SEEM TO CARE MUCH.
IT WAS A LENGTHY
CONVERSATION, I AM PICKING THE MOST RELEVANT PARTS.
YOU SHOULD
LISTEN TO THE WHOLE THING.
HE CONTINUES TO SAY ñ SO HE WAS
RESPONDING TO BEING LIED TO BY A TRANSGENDER INDIVIDUAL AND SAYS
HE WOULD WANT TO KILL THAT PERSON.
SO ESSENTIALLY HE IS
SAYING IT IS UNLIKELY THIS WILL EVER HAPPEN, SO DON'T WORRY.
BUT
HE DID GET PUSHBACK FROM THE HOST OF THE SHOW.
THEY SAID YOU
CAN'T KILL HER, THAT IS A HATE CRIME.
BUT I DO WANT TO NOTE THAT EVERYONE WAS LAUGHING AND
MAKING LIGHT OF THESE COMMENTS.
>> I GET THIS IS A COMMON THING THAT USED TO HAPPEN ALL THE
TIME.
THAT IS EXACTLY WHY TRANSGENDER INDIVIDUALS ARE
ATTACKED ROUTINELY AND MURDERED.
IT'S NOT FUNNY.
>>LAST YEAR 22 TRANSGENDER INDIVIDUALS WERE MURDERED.
THIS
YEAR, ACCORDING TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN THERE HAVE BEEN
AT LEAST 15 TRANSGENDERED INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE BEEN
MURDERED.
THE DEATH IS ONE THING, BUT THERE IS ALSO EXTREME
ABUSE AND VIOLENCE TOWARD THEM.
I FEEL LIKE WE HAVE TO BE
CAREFUL WITH THIS KIND OF CONVERSATION AND RHETORIC
BECAUSE THIS IS A COMMUNITY THAT HAS BEEN TARGETED, ABUSED,
TARGETED FOR MURDER.
SAYING SHE IS DYING IS JUST NOT THE RIGHT
WAY TO RESPOND.
>>IN THE OLD DAYS IT WOULD'VE BEEN CONSIDERED A TOTALLY NORMAL
THING TO FREAK OUT IF YOU ACCIDENTALLY HOOKED UP WITH
SOMEONE WHO WAS TRANSGENDER.
IT WOULD NOT OF BEEN NORMAL TO
MURDER THEM.
THESE KIND OF COMMENTS WOULD'VE SEEMED
COMMONPLACE.
I KNOW SOME PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION
STILL BELIEVES THAT, AND PEOPLE LAUGH.
BUT THAT IS EXACTLY THE
MINDSET THAT DID ACTUALLY LEAD TO THEM GETTING MURDERED.
THAT
USED TO HAPPEN IN BIGGER NUMBERS, BUT IT'S NOT LIKE IT IS
IN THE PAST.
IT STILL HAPPENS TODAY.
IF HE MADE A REALLY
STUPID JOKE AND TODAY WAS LIKE, I DIDN'T MEAN THAT, THAT WAS
STUPID, THEN YOU SAY ONE THING.
BUT DID HE RETRACT IT?
>>NO.
HE DID DOUBLE DOWN ON WHAT HE SAID DURING AN INTERVIEW
WITH TMZ.
I WANT TO SHOW YOU WHAT HE FEELS IS HIS JUSTIFICATION.
LET'S TAKE A LOOK.
>> I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT FOR YOU TO FIGURE OUT WHAT I SAID
WHAT I SAID.
WHY DID I SAY THAT?
I SAID THAT BECAUSE ñ WHEN YOU
TAKE AWAY SOME OF THE POWER OF CHOICE IT SHOULD BE CRIMINAL.
AND YOU DON'T KNOW WHETHER TO DO TO SOMEBODY IT'S LIKE A LOGICAL.
I DON'T GOT NO PROBLEM WITH TRANSGENDER.
I DON'T GOT NO
PROBLEM WITH GAY PEOPLE.
I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH PEOPLE TRYING TO
TAKE SOMETHING FOR ME.
I'M IN MY OWN MIND.
I SAY WHAT I FEEL.
I
SAY WHAT IS ON MY MIND AND HOW THEY TAKE IT BECAUSE IF THEY
TAKE IT WHERE NOTHING IS GOING ON, THAT IS ON THEM.
THIS IS
ABOUT ONE SITUATION, WHICH THE SITUATION WAS WHAT WOULD I DO IF
I FOUND OUT SOMEBODY WAS A MAN, THAT I THOUGHT WAS A WOMAN AND
DIDN'T TELL ME.
THAT IS ALL THAT IS.
ALL THAT OTHER STUFF THEY
PUT ON THIS THAT IS ON THEIR OWN.
>>
I'M TRYING TO HELP YOU SEE THAT NO ONE IN THE SOCIETY IS GOING
TO TOLERATE YOU SAYING THAT YOU WOULD RETALIATE WITH MURDER.
>> THAT IS PSYCHOLOGICAL DAMAGE.
I WENT CRAZY RIGHT THERE BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT IT MADE ME DO.
>> LOOK, FOR SOME PEOPLE WHO READ ABOUT THIS YOU PROBABLY
THINK YEAH, ISN'T IT TERRIBLE IF SOMEONE LIES TO YOU.
I WOULDN'T
WANT TO BE LIED TO.
BUT UNDERSTAND WHY MEMBERS OF THE
TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY WOULD WITHHOLD THAT INFORMATION UNTIL
THEY FELT COMFORTABLE DISCLOSING IT.
IT IS BECAUSE THEY ARE MET
WITH VIOLENCE.
IT'S BECAUSE ONCE THEY OPEN UP ABOUT THEIR
IDENTITY THEY ARE MET WITH BRUTAL VIOLENCE, SOMETIMES
MURDER.
THEY FEEL UNSAFE.
IT'S NOT LIKE THEY ARE DOING IT TO
MISLEAD YOU OR BE SHADY OR PSYCHOLOGICALLY MESS YOU UP.
I THINK WE HAVE TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT CREATING
AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE PEOPLE FEEL SAFE COMING OUT AND
DISCLOSING WHO THEY ARE.
>>LET'S BE CLEAR, THIS IS NOT AN EPIDEMIC OF TRANSGENDER PEOPLE
LYING.
I INTERVIEWED A TRANSGENDER WOMAN IN MIAMI ABOUT
20 YEARS AGO.
THING THEY ALL SAID WAS BEFORE WE HOOK UP WITH
ANYONE WE MAKE VERY CLEAR WHO WE ARE BECAUSE THEY KNOW EXACTLY
WHAT THE DANGERS ARE AND THEY KNOW THERE ARE PEOPLE LIKE THIS
OUT THERE.
AND A LOT OF THEM ARE NOT JOKING.
THAT IS WHY THOSE
TRANSGENDER WOMEN END UP DYING AT THE HANDS OF PEOPLE LIKE
THIS.
HIM CALLING THEM TRANNY'S IS CONSIDERED OFFENSIVE.
I KNOW
A LOT OF RIGHT-WINGERS WILL SAY NO BIG DEAL, HE'S JOKING.
THAT
IS ONE CATEGORY.
THESE ISSUES SOMETIMES WE ARE NEW AND
GRAPPLING WITH THEM.
WE GOT CRITICIZED FOR A RECENT GAME OF
THRONES REVIEW WE DID BECAUSE WE WERE CURIOUS ABOUT A CHARACTER
AMONG THE UNSULLIED.
YOU COULD SAY WE WERE INSENSITIVE ABOUT
THAT AND MAYBE THAT IS FAIR, BUT THIS IS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT
CATEGORY.
THIS IS A GUY DOUBLING DOWN SAYING IN MY OPINION YOU
DID PSYCHOLOGICAL DAMAGE TO ME, I GET TO EXECUTE YOU.
THAT IS A
VERY DANGEROUS MINDSET AND I HOPE THAT IS SOMETHING WE CAN
ALL AGREE ON REALLY EASILY.
THAT WAS A PART THAT I THINK GOT THE
CRITICISM AND IS JUSTIFIED.
THERE IS ANOTHER PART I DON'T
THINK IS GETTING TALKED ABOUT ENOUGH.
JANET MOCK IS AN AMAZING
WOMAN, AN OUTSPOKEN LEADER IN THE TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY.
SHE
HAD JUST BEEN ON THE BREAKFAST CLUB.
AT ONE POINT IN THE
CONVERSATION WHEN THE HOST PICKED UP HER BOOK, AND
BASICALLY MADE A POINT OF SAYING SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL.
AND THEN
DUVAL JUMPS IN AND TALKS ABOUT ñ CALLS HER A MAN.
IT'S JUST
UNNECESSARY, IT CAME ACROSS AS MALICIOUS AND UNINFORMED
GRATUITOUS.
I DON'T KNOW WHY THEY HAD TO THROW HER IN THERE
LIKE THAT.
SHE HAD A RESPONSE AND WROTE A GREAT PIECE IN
RESPONSE TO IT.
I JUST WANT US TO BE NICE TO EACH OTHER.
>>CAN WE AT LEAST BE DECENT?
THE DEGREE TO WHICH HE IS ATTACKING
TRANSGENDER PEOPLE INDICATES SOME SORT OF INSECURITY.
THE GUY
IS CERTAINLY HAS ISSUES WITH HIS SEXUALITY WHERE HE IS TOUCHY
ABOUT THIS SUBJECT.
IT IS ONE THING TO SAY THAT IS TERRIBLE,
IT'S ANOTHER THING TO SAY THAT AS A MAN AND OH MY GOD THAT
WOULD CAUSE ME PSYCHOLOGICAL DAMAGE SO I WOULD MURDER THEM.
THERE IS SOMETHING GOING ON THERE.
>>YEAH, IT IS STRANGE.
>> TRANSGENDER PEOPLE, IF THE RIGHT WING THINKS THEY ARE TOO
SENSITIVE ON THESE ISSUES, THEY HAD TO GO THROUGH A LOT.
I'M
TRYING TO GET EVERYONE TO SEE WHAT OTHER PEOPLE MIGHT FEEL
THAT IT TAKES TREMENDOUS COURAGE TO CHANGE YOUR SEX.
YOU DON'T JUST WAKE UP ONE MORNING AND DECIDE TO BE
GENDER REASSIGNMENT SURGERY.
>>PUT YOURSELF IN A SITUATION WHERE YOU ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE
MET WITH VIOLENCE, DISCRIMINATION, MURDER, LOWER
JOB PROSPECTS.
THINK ABOUT ALL THE TERRIBLE THINGS THAT THIS
COMMUNITY HAS TO GO THROUGH BECAUSE OF THEIR IDENTITY?
THEY
USE THAT SAME ARGUMENT WHEN IT CAME TO GAYS, AND NOW IT'S GAY
PEOPLE ARE GOOD FOR BUSINESS THEY ARE IN FAVOR.
>> YOU MIGHT BE SENSITIVE TO IT AS WELL IF YOU SUFFERED NONSTOP
ATTACKS ON YOUR CORE IDENTITY, PEOPLE DIDN'T BELIEVE YOU, MOCK
YOU, AND THREATENED TO KILL YOU.
THOSE WOULD BE A VERY GOOD
REASONS TO BE SENSITIVE ON THIS ISSUE.
THIS ONE IS NOT REMOTELY
CLOSE.
WHAT HE SAID WAS ATROCIOUS.