Political commentator Jon Stewart took Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge to task over an Arkansas law blocking children from receiving gender-affirming medical care.
The two sat down for a conversation on his program The Problem with Jon Stewart ahead of a trial scheduled this month that will determine whether the law will be permanently blocked in the state after a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit temporarily barred the state from enforcing its ban.
Stewart pointed out the state of Arkansas has chosen to "override parents, physicians, psychiatrists, endocrinologists who have developed guidelines" and shut down Rutledge's attempts to justify her belief "we don’t need to allow children to take those medications.”
You can hear what they said in the video below.
\u201cJon interviewed Leslie Rutledge, Arkansas Attorney General, about why her state banned gender-affirming care for minors - ignoring the guidelines of major medical organizations and taking the decision out of parents\u2019 hands. Watch the full interview on @AppleTVPlus\u201d— The Problem With Jon Stewart (@The Problem With Jon Stewart) 1665158400
Rutledge made the erroneous claim "98 percent" of children with gender dysphoria are able to "move past that," which is incorrect because medical professionals have noted a mismatch between a person's biological sex and their gender identity can have a profoundly negative impact on their everyday life.
Stewart said Rutledge provided "an incredibly made-up figure" and added her claim does not "comport with any of the studies or documentation that exists from these medical organizations."
Rutledge could not offer a response when questioned about the statistic she'd pulled out of thin air, only saying that "we’ll be glad to provide" a legislative history in which the statistic is included. Nor could she name any experts and medical associations who support a ban on gender-affirming medical care, claiming that neither she nor her office expect “a Supreme Court debate.”
Stewart also laughed when Rutledge could not provide an adequate response to his observation that she, as the mother of a four-year-old, would sooner take a doctor’s advice if her child had cancer but not if her child had gender dysphoria.
He said:
“You’re making it sound like a 9-year-old walks into a doctor’s office and says, ‘Give me some testosterone,’ and the doctor goes, ‘Oh, thank God, because we’re wanting to create an army of transgenders ― because we’re crazy."
Rutledge was silent.
Many praised Stewart for the way he handled the interview.
\u201cWow. This is a total takedown of GOP transphobia. Worth watching the whole thing.\u201d— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1665249589
\u201cJesus, if most journalists had half the tenacity of this man.\u201d— Definitely Danny (@Definitely Danny) 1665257760
\u201cFreaking awesome\u2026MUST watch this masterful take down of Arkansas Attorney General. MASTERFUL \ud83d\ude02\ud83d\udc4d\ud83c\udffb\u201d— Vixen_in_Vegas \ud83c\udf3c\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Vixen_in_Vegas \ud83c\udf3c\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1665320814
\u201cWe need Jon Stewart, Katie Porter, and some other sharp, eloquent, fair and altruistic Democrats, to teach people everywhere how to grill Republicans to get to the truth. \nI have watched this 2x.\u201d— Laz is like a box of chocolates (@Laz is like a box of chocolates) 1665372957
\u201cweird seeing a comedian do a better job articulating the absurdity and pointless cruelty of the right wing war on trans kids than, like, any TV journalist\u201d— G JONES (@G JONES) 1665254678
\u201cA model, in many ways, for how journalists in real time should be forcing politicians to back up their claims with facts and sources and not simply allowing them to go unchallenged.\u201d— Ida Bae Wells (@Ida Bae Wells) 1665238103
\u201cWow. A big tip of the Stetson to Jon Stewart. A master class in the art of a news making interview.\u201d— Dan Rather (@Dan Rather) 1665238685
\u201cI can\u2019t begin to describe what it feels like to finally see someone with this kind of influence and credibility interrogate and stand up to the lies & ideology that have been actively harming trans youth. This is what we\u2019ve been waiting for. Begging for. I am overwhelmed.\u201d— Jen Richards (@Jen Richards) 1665241456
\u201cLIKE ROBOTS FOLLOWING COMMANDS: Jon Stewart\u2019s interview of Arkansas AG, Leslie Rutledge, reveals that Republicans will refuse to admit truth.\n\nRutledge doesn\u2019t care that her state-banned, gender-affirming care, will hurt children. She\u2019s a #GOPBot.\n\n#VoteBlueDownBallot \n\ud83d\udc47\ud83c\udffc\u201d— Samia Ali Salama \u270d\ufe0f (@Samia Ali Salama \u270d\ufe0f) 1665242955
\u201cMaster class He had the receipts and he wasn\u2019t prepared to take talking points at face value when he knew the facts backed up by medical experts Can\u2019t wait to watch the entire episode\u201d— Jen Psaki (@Jen Psaki) 1665249190
Studies show transgender teens are more likely to be subjected to violence in high school and have higher rates of suicide.
A recent study showed transgender adults with access to puberty blockers as teens were less likely to have suicidal thoughts.
The study, published in Pediatrics, concluded "those who received treatment with pubertal suppression, when compared with those who wanted pubertal suppression but did not receive it, had lower odds of lifetime suicidal ideation."
Rutledge's remarks also echoed conservative talking points about transgender people that bring to mind the recent controversy that erupted in Texas after Greg Abbott, the state's Republican governor, signed off on legislation that, though ultimately struck down by a federal judge, would have empowered the state to open child abuse investigations into families whose children receive gender affirming procedures.
Her words offer further examples of the ongoing "groomer" hysteria accusing LGBTQ+ people of building relationships, trust, and emotional connections with children so they can manipulate, exploit and abuse them.
Some Republicans, such as Mark Burns, who ran an unsuccessful campaign for Congress in South Carolina's 4th District, have called for parents and teachers who support LGBTQ+ children to be "executed" for treason.
