Chance the Rapper trashes Trump transgender ban in Emmys musical number
Chance the Rapper has called out Donald Trump’s ban on transgender soldiers.
Donald Trump’s Defense Secretary James ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis is pushing ahead with the administration’s plans to ban transgender people from the military.
In the face of multiple civil rights lawsuits, Trump officials are drawing up plans to block recruitment of any military personnel who identify as transgender, while they are working on plans to ‘purge’ existing soldiers from next year.
Grammy-winning artist Chance the Rapper called out the transgender ban in a musical number at Sunday night’s TV Emmy Awards, in a rap which alluded to several political issues.
He said: “I love television, it’s a pleasant distraction/But just imagine takin’ action
“I like Brooklyn Nine Nine, in fact, I’m addicted / But where’s the cop show where one gets convicted?
“I miss the classics, I still think M*A*S*H rocks /But if Hawkeye can be a soldier, why not Laverne Cox?
“Bob’s Burgers makes you smile, but please don’t ignore / The decline of the independently family-run store.
“I get it the finales they got you focused / But just record the show and show up at the protest!”
Is there anything Chance The Rapper can’t do? He’s even killing verses on the intro to the #Emmys! pic.twitter.com/Rz2gS2KJK4
— Josh Sánchez (@jnsanchez) September 18, 2017
The rap verse referenced Orange is the New Black star Laverne Cox, who is transgender, as well as military-based TV drama M*A*S*H, in which character Hawkeye is a Captain.
The Pentagon is not expected to put its ban into effect until next year, after the American Civil Liberties Union began pursuing an injunction preventing its immediate enforcement.
ACLU attorney Chase Santiago, who previously represented transgender soldier Chelsea Manning when she was denied the right to transition, announced the new filing last week
He said: “Today we are filing a motion for a preliminary injunction asking the court to put an immediate stop to the President’s ban to ensure that the harms to our clients and the thousands of other transgender individuals serving our country are rectified immediately.”
The ACLU official added “Individuals like our client Staff Sgt. Kate Cole should not have to worry about whether their job, health care, entire life is on the line— not because of the risks inherent in the work she has so bravely taken on, but due to the political whims of her commander in chief pandering to a base that would like to see her very existence erased.
“Staff Sgt. Cole has served in the military since she enlisted at 17. She has deployed to Afghanistan, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. This work, her service, is the only job she has ever known, and she has devoted her life to it.
“Now her medical care has already been cancelled and she risks losing everything. And for what? Because the president decided to do the military ‘a favour’ and end transgender service without having to study it.
“Transgender people are not pawns in a political game. Our lives, our health care, our work cannot be erased with a tweet.
“We will not let that happen, and we are heading to court to stop it.”
Check out the full Emmys clip:
