This famous director made a must-see PSA against the anti-trans bathroom bill in Texas, and, YES!
Having come such a long way in terms of transgender rights in the last couple of years, it’s upsetting to see bills being introduced in certain states that would actively send us backwards.
But Richard Linklater’s ‘I Pee with LGBT’ ad invites Texas lawmakers to speak out against Governor Dan Patrick’s proposed anti-trans bathroom initiative.
And we salute it so hard! Because the bill would require transgender people to use the bathrooms that correspond to their biological sex, not their gender identity — which is both senseless and discriminatory.
The ad brings to light simple truths such as, “money should be spent keeping kids in schools, not out of bathrooms,” and it’s super effective at explaining the issue from a totally common sense perspective.
“Everybody pees. And everybody deserves a safe space to.”
As the ad explains, “this is not a privacy issue, it’s a discrimination issue.” Therefore, it must be addressed as soon as possible by those who have the power to stop it from happening.
Apart from the bill itself being hugely offensive to the transgender community, it will undoubtedly have negative backlash in the form of violence and social isolation (as we’ve already seen in North Carolina, where the bill was passed). To put it bluntly, the bill is inhumane and not in the spirit of a society that allegedly values equality and personal freedom.
Many celebrities have come on board and signed a letter against this bill, such as Laverne Cox, Lady Ga Ga, Britney Spears, and Amy Poehler. The letter calls the bill a “poison” that stands as a barrier between Texas and its future.
We hope that Linklater’s ad will be seen far and wide, and that its message of equality makes it to the right ears (and hearts).
