Queer Eye's grooming expert
Jonathan Van Ness has criticized John Cleese after the actor-comedian
made a transgender joke on social media.
Cleese made the joke on Twitter in
response to a critic of his support for JK Rowling, the British
author who has said that transgender rights give “cover to
predators” in places such as bathrooms and locker rooms.
“Deep down, I want to be a Cambodian
police woman. Is that allowed, or am I being unrealistic?” he
joked.
In another tweet, Cleese said: "I'm
afraid I'm not that interested in trans folks. I just hope they're
happy and that people treat them kindly. Right now I'm more focussed
on threats to democracy in America, the rampant corruption in the UK,
the appalling British Press, the revelations about police
brutality..."
(Related: Simone
Biles responds to One Million Moms attack on Uber Eats ads with
Jonathan Van Ness.)
Van Ness, who came out non-binary last
year, called Cleese's tweets “cruel.”
"Dear @JohnCleese you’ve made
several transphobic comments here. You do seem to not only be
interested in trans folks, but also adding to transphobia at a time
when trans people are being murdered world wide. Trans & non
binary people aren’t being treated kindly,” they tweeted.
"So cruel to constantly punch down
onto a marginalized group of people.”
“Trans & non-binary people have
existed for thousands of years. We have defied societal expectations
& found a way to survive through literally all of time,” Van
Ness said. “We keep fighting for equality.”