Cher slams Trump transgender plan: ‘Will my son be sent to internment camp?’
Cher poses with her son Chaz Bono in 2010 (MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images)
Cher has hit out at the Trump administration over reports that the White House is drawing up a new anti-transgender policy.
The gay icon, whose son Chaz Bono is transgender, reacted with fury to news that the Department of Health and Human Services is planning to enforce a new definition of gender which defines it as a person’s sex assigned at birth, barring recognition of transgender people.
Taking to Twitter, Cher blasted the Trump administration in her uniquely outspoken style.
She said: “Fk These Ppl. Will my son be sent to internment camp to live with Latino children, and be kept In cages in places where can’t see them. “
Cher added: “This is ‘his code’ for … Make them disappear #MBS” —an apparent reference to Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad Bin Salman, whose relationship with the US has recently come under strain following the alleged murder of a journalist in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey.
Cher continued: “Warning LGBT Friends. They won’t be happy till you’re gone . Might seem I’m being alarmist, but it’s been coming since the ride down the escalator,”—a reference to the way Trump announced he was entering the presidential race in 2015, riding down Trump Tower’s golden escalator-“He wants everything Pres Obama did wipped off face of [sic] the earth .
The star appealed to her fans to cast a vote in the upcoming November elections: “I’m begging youI Vote like your life depends on it, it does.”
She added: “My beloved son Chaz is honorable, brave, funny, talented, a concerned citizen, a joy to hang out with, he cares about all people. & . He’s owed respect, like all trans people. Trump doesn’t understand basic decency. He’s driven by , power, , vitriol, vanity VOTE. #ToddlersAreStillInCages.”
Chaz Bono also posted his own message condemning the reported policy.
The transgender actor wrote: “I can’t begin to express the rage I feel toward an administration that is trying to redefine me out of existence. Just another gift for his small minded base, terrified of the diversity that has always made America exceptional! #Vote”
Cher present an award to Chaz Bono at the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards 2012. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images for GLAAD)
Throwing shade at Trump, he added: “Some people are so invested in the antiquated idea of certain things being absolutely fixed, that ideas which contradict that, rock them to their foundation.
“Ironically they have no issue with suddenly thinking of Putin and Kim Jong Un, as trustworthy fantastic leaders.”
The Trump administration has previously taken aim at transgender people in the military, attempting to reverse on Obama-era policy that allowed trans troops to enlist.
Trump was alleged to have personally ordered the move himself, taking generals and senior officials by surprise with an announcement on Twitter.
The Justice Department, led by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, has also taken a resolute line against LGBT+ anti-discrimination protections and transgender civil rights laws.
