ABC’s popular hidden camera show What Would You Do? tackled transphobia on its most recent episode, staging a fraught scenario in which a transgender woman is verbally attacked by an uppity sales clerk as she shops for new clothes.
The hit show throws unsuspecting strangers into situations in which they have to choose whether to stand up for what’s right or ignore the situation. Previously, the show has tackled racism, disabled people, and homophobia.
Related: Restaurant caught denying gay couple service on “date night”
The new episode features a transgender woman, shopping for new clothes, suddenly being sniped at and badgered by a sales clerk. (The actress is great in it.)
“I’m gonna need you to be very careful with those clothes,” she says. “They are made for women’s bodies. I just don’t want you to tear it or anything.”
In this case, every customer stuck up for the transgender woman in one way or another, with many lecturing the sales clerk about accepting people for who they are.
One customer says to the trans woman, “You look excellent in it, by the way.”
“You know it’s a man in woman’s clothing?” the clerk asks.
“For sure I did not know that,” the customer shoots back.
“And it doesn’t really matter. She looks beautiful in that. It fits her perfectly and I am offended by what you’re saying. That is not what this town or this store is about. I am very upset by what you’re saying…
And she’s a woman. And she looks fabulous. It doesn’t matter about gender or size. It doesn’t matter about race. It doesn’t matter about religion. I doesn’t matter about sexuality. She is beautiful. You look fabulous.”
Watch:
ChrisK
OK I’m a big sap for stuff like this. Damn onions are getting into my eyes again.
witwoud
i am right there with you. all the feelz.
Danny595
Fake, contrived and staged in order to manipulate people.
Just like transgenderism itself.
Clay83
You are such a dick
He BGB
I stopped watching this show ages ago. Made me soooo nervous. Any kind of ambush TV gives me hives. That awful woman on Inside Edition especially is horrible that goes around ambushing people into confessing they’re awful human beings. BTW, I heard that guy that shot the gay crush guy on The Jenny Jones Show is getting out on parole next week. Alittle off topic but just thought about it.
He BGB
He got out of prison 6 hours ago. Queerty?
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
Yes it was very moving and easy to dismiss as unnecessary hateful bigotry. But too easy. Now, what if it was a big burly bearded guy making no concession to typical female presentation but nevertheless self-declaring “female” identity and wanting to try on underwear? Or lets change the location to the aforementioned guy wanting admittance to a battered women’s shelter, or a job interview as a volunteer at a rape crisis centre. Is Self-indentity a sufficient condition? Aspects of this issue are far more ethically knotty than either side is willing to admit..or to even permit the discussion
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
Woman* — not big burly bearded “Guy” ..(big burly bearded woman)