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Will Ferrell EXPERTLY calls out the absurdity of transphobia in new interview & we're SOBBING
He finally asked the question we've all been wondering about!
"Why does transphobia exist?" is a large question with many even larger and more multifaceted answers. One such answer was recently supplied by comedian and actor Will Ferrell in a new interview withThe Independent.
"Whether or not you can ultimately wrap your head around that, why would you care if somebody’s happy? Why is that threatening to you? If the trans community is a threat to you, I think it stems from not being confident or safe with yourself.” Period!
The interview was with Ferrell and Harper Steele, his former Saturday Night Livecollaborator and close friend of 30 years. Steele came out as trans in 2022, after which she and Ferrell decided to take a cross country road trip together. The pair were accompanied by filmmaker Josh Greenbaum, who turned the journey into the new documentary film Will & Harper. After a sensational debut at Sundance earlier this year, the film was picked up by Netflix, where it is now available to stream starting today.
So a question like, "Why does transphobia exist?" is one that Ferrell has been contemplating a lot as of late. He responded, "I think we fear what we do not know."
It's an excellent response. It brings to mind Harvey Milk's Gay Freedom Day speech from 1978, delivered less than a year before his assassination. In the speech, Milk called on the LGBTQ+ community to, "Come out to your neighbors, to your coworkers, to the people who work where you eat and shop. Come out only to the people you know, and who know you. Not to anyone else. But once and for all, break down the myths, destroy the lies and distortions."
Now, Ferrell calls on his fellow cis men to do the work to connect with and defend the trans community. Ferrell recalled that when Steele came out to him and some other close friends via email in 2022, an email that started with a truly iconic subject line, "Here's a Weird One." Ferrell said, "All of us were extremely supportive and expressed love, but that sort of opened the questions like, 'How can we help you? What do you need us to do?'"
Steele responded, "I just ask you as my friend to stand up for me. Do your best to, if I’m misgendered, just speak up on my behalf, that’s all I ask.”
That's exactly what Ferrell has done. During their trip, Ferrell saw just how much things have changed day to day for Steele and trans women like her. "The hatred is out there," he said. Still, his love and support of Steele only grows. “It’s very real and it’s very unsafe for trans people in certain situations. But I don’t know why trans people are meant to be threatening to me as a cis male. I don’t know why Harper is threatening to me.”
His joy for Steele is overwhelming. He said regarding the transphobia Steele has faced, "It’s so strange to me, because Harper is finally… her. She’s finally who she was always meant to be."
Ferrell is such an excellent person to be making these arguments because they come with no pretense or condescension. He's spoken very openly about how before Steele came out, having said in an interview at Sundance that he had "zero experience with the trans community." He continued, "I had met trans people, but I didn’t have anyone personally in my life, so this was all new territory for me, which is why I think this film is so exciting for us to kind of put out there in the world. It’s a chance all of us in the cis community to be able to ask questions and also just to listen and be there as a friend to discuss this journey.”
Will & Harper is streaming now on Netflix. Watch the trailer below.
Rowan Ashley Smith has often been described as "a multi-hyphenate about town." He loves work that connects him to his cultures as a gay, Jewish, multiracial trans man. Before breaking into journalism, the best days of his professional life were spent as a summer camp professional, a librarian, and an HIV prevention specialist. His work has been featured in GO Magazine, pride.com, and The Advocate. In what is left of his free time, Rowan enjoys performing stand up comedy, doing the NYT crossword, and spending time with his two partners, two children, and four cats.
Rowan Ashley Smith has often been described as "a multi-hyphenate about town." He loves work that connects him to his cultures as a gay, Jewish, multiracial trans man. Before breaking into journalism, the best days of his professional life were spent as a summer camp professional, a librarian, and an HIV prevention specialist. His work has been featured in GO Magazine, pride.com, and The Advocate. In what is left of his free time, Rowan enjoys performing stand up comedy, doing the NYT crossword, and spending time with his two partners, two children, and four cats.
