On Monday, July 21st, guest host Alan Cumming took to the stage on Jimmy Kimmel Live to deliver a scathing monologue regarding the attack on trans rights in the US.
The acclaimed actor and host of Traitors spoke about his role as Nightcrawler in the “X-Men” franchise, adding: “I happen to believe that there are actual superheroes in real life who walk among us. And these superheroes are called trans people. Because just like superheroes, trans people are born with something special and magical about them. Like superheroes, they grow up in a society that doesn’t understand them, that makes them the ‘other,’ and often hates them. Like superheroes, trans people just want the world to be a safer place, and they believe we should protect each other and live our lives in peace.”
Cumming also highlighted GLAAD’s anti-LGBTQ extremism reporting tracker (ALERT Desk), stating: “Here in America, the amount of hate crimes against trans people has risen hugely in the last year. And here in Los Angeles, they’re up by 125%.”
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Between May 2024 and May 2025, the ALERT Desk tracked 932 anti-LGBTQ incidents across the US – the equivalent of 2.5 incidents every day. Over 50% of all incidents were specifically motivated by anti-trans hate. The dramatic rise in anti-trans hate coincides with political campaigns at the federal and state level to criminalize trans health care, restrict access to bathrooms and sports leagues, and ban books containing transgender and other LGBTQ characters.
Cumming also rebutted anti-trans myths, saying: “Trans people are far more likely to be victims of sexual assault or violence than be the perpetrators… There is no epidemic of attacks being committed by trans people. But do you know how many people are killed every year by gun violence in this country? Over 46,000. And you’re worried about pronouns. Everyone in this country’s pronouns should be ‘gun’ and ‘control.’”
If you have experienced or witnessed an anti-LGBTQ incident, you can report it to GLAAD’s ALERT Desk here.
Watch Alan Cumming’s full monologue here, with proceeds going towards the Trevor Project’s work supporting LGBTQ youth.
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