Actor Alan Cumming condemned the “absolutely heinous” moves the Trump administration has made against transgender Americans.
“I can’t imagine what it must be like to be a trans person, knowing that the government is trying to legislate that you do not exist,” the “Traitors” host and longtime LGBTQ+ advocate said on “The View” this week.
“I just think it’s awful. And what kind of country are we in where we take rights away from people? Do you know what I mean? What is going on?”
Upon his return to office, President Donald Trump signed a blitz of executive orders, including crackdowns on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and the removal of protections for transgender people.
Earlier this week, he signed an order aimed at cutting federal support for gender health care for people under 19, resulting in multiple hospitals around the country halting care in order to comply with the order. He also signed an executive order targeting “gender ideology” in schools, and another requiring federal documents to reflect sex assigned at birth.
Cumming noted that transgender people have been targeted by conservative policies and rhetoric for years. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, there were more than 500 bills introduced across the country targeting LGBTQ people in 2024, including restrictions on trans people’s health care, access to bathrooms and ability to update their legal documents.
Still, Cumming said he’s been appalled by recent moves made by the new president.
“People are hoarding their medication because they are scared they’re not going to be able to get it again,” Cumming said. “It’s just a terrible, terrible situation.”
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“And, of course, [targeting] the easiest marginalized group and making it about things like toilets,” he added. “It’s not about that. That’s a smokescreen to hide the other terrible things they want to do to us.”