‘JACKHOLE OF THE DAY’

Andy Cohen Gives Emotional Rebuke of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for ‘Bullying’ Trans Kids

“I can’t believe I have to say this,” the late-night host said, “but there is nothing pro-family about denying children medical care and threatening to rip them from their homes.”

At the very end of his Watch What Happens Live broadcast Tuesday night, Andy Cohen declared Texas Governor Greg Abbott his “Jackhole of the Day” for persecuting the families of trans kids in his state.

“You might have heard that the governor recently ordered that parents of transgender children who give their kids gender-affirming care should be investigated for child abuse,” Cohen, the only openly gay late-night TV host, began. “You heard that correctly,” he added, telling viewers that at least one such family is “already being investigated.”

“This order goes against the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and everyone who knows that gender-affirming care reduces emotional distress and the risk of suicide in kids who identify as transgender,” he said. “I can’t believe I have to say this, but there is nothing pro-family about denying children medical care and threatening to rip them from their homes and families.”

To all transgender youth in Texas, Cohen said, “You belong and I stand with you.”

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He had a different message for Governor Abbott: “Picking on vulnerable children in an election year does not make you a leader, it makes you a bully.”

And finally, to all Texans, Cohen urged, “The best way to stand up to this bully is to vote like your life depends on it. Because for a lot of transgender kids in Texas, it does.”

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