Alan Cumming Pays Tribute To Trans People In Late Night Monologue

Bisexual baddie Alan Cumming has highlighted the resilience of the trans community in his monologue while guest hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Appearing on Tuesday night’s episode, the Traitors host opened his monologue by gently reminding everyone about the slow collapse of the United States and the ever-increasing rise of fascism- you know, fun, late night stuff.

“America, how are you doing?” he asked to cheers and applause.

“I mean, how are you doing- aside from being a country that’s just reintroduced concentration camps, taking health care away from 70 million people to give billionaires a tax cut and also to finance an armed militia of masked men to commit heinous assorted kidnapping and crimes against humanity on a daily basis? Aside from all that, are you okay?”

Cumming spoke about his extensive acting credits, including Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, James Bond, and his iconic appearance in the original L Word in the noughties, to which he said he’s certain he’s “the first person to ever host this, or actually, any late night talk show who’s been fucked up the ass by a lesbian with a strap on.”

(Season 3, episode 7, at 23:38, in case you wanted to refresh your memory.)

“Don’t knock it til you’ve tried it,” he added.

Trans people are “real life superheroes” 

Cumming also reminded the audience of his role as Nightcrawler in 2003’s X2: X-Men United, and spoke about the real life superheroes he saw in his community.

“Of course, these superhero movies are only pretend, but I happen to believe that there are actual superheroes in real life who walk among us, and these superheroes are called trans people,” he said.

“Just like superheroes, trans people are born with something special and magical about them, and they also have to hide what’s special and magical about them from other people. Like superheroes, they grow up in a society that doesn’t understand them, that makes them the other, and often hates them.”

“Like superheroes, trans people just want the world to be a safer place, and they believe we should protect each other and live our lives in peace,” Cumming said.

“Like superheroes, evil billionaires want to get rid of trans people for no fucking reason whatsoever, and just like superheroes, trans people are not new. They’ve been around forever, and they’re not going anywhere, no matter how much this administration tries to make you fear them.”

He rounded out the bit by comparing the fabricated hysteria around trans people sexually assaulting people in bathrooms to the real life, well documented crimes of US President Donald Trump.

“How dare this president make random unfounded accusations of sexual criminality against trans people when he was literally ordered to pay $83 million to a woman who accused him of sexual assault?”

Cumming is vocal about his unwavering support for the trans community, and spoke on The View at the start of the year about the Trump administration’s many attacks on queer people and adjacent communities.

Watch the full monologue here- it’s definitely a soul-stirring Thursday pick-up.