Andy Cohen Supports the Transgender Community in an Emotional Statement: "You Cannot Be Erased"
The WWHL host stands up for equal rights after a report on a new policy that could change how sex is defined.
A new report in The New York Times says that the Department of Health and Human Services is working on a policy that seeks to change how those in the transgender community are recognized, noting that gender could eventually be determined “on a biological basis that is clear, grounded in science, objective and administrable." That means that a person's sex could be defined as male or female and, as the NYTimes notes, as "unchangeable, and determined by the genitals that a person is born with."
Now, Andy Cohen, who is a proud and outspoken member of the LGBTQ community, is standing up and supporting those who could be affected by the policy. Should the policy be changed, Andy noted, it could affect a number of rights for transgender people, including access to housing, schools, workplace, and healthcare.
On Monday's episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, he opened up about the report in a moving show of support for the trans community.
“As it is, trans people are among the most vulnerable in our society and as people in Washington quietly try to make this a scarier, less safe world for them, it’s time for the rest of us to decide what kind of country that we want to be," he said. "So to all of my trans friends out there, just want you to know we support you. We fight with you. Your rights are human rights. They cannot be erased and you cannot be erased."
Andy is one of the many celebrities using their voice to speak out against the policy, including transgender public figures like Chaz Bono, Laverne Cox, and Caitlyn Jenner.