Actor Will Ferrell says transgender skeptics are simply afraid of the unknown

Comedian and actor Will Ferrell recently offered his two cents on the national transgender conversation, telling British publication The Independent that “we fear what we don’t know.”

Mr. Ferrell is promoting his upcoming Netflix documentary “Will & Harper,” which premiered Friday and depicts Mr. Ferrell’s metaphorical and literal journey with his longtime friend Harper Steele, who worked with him in the 1990s on “ Saturday Night Live’ and was released. as transgender years into their friendship.

“Will & Harper” follows Mr. Ferrell and Ms. Steele as they embark on a 16-day road trip across the U.S., grappling with how Ms. Steele’s transition has affected both their friendship and her experience in public spaces. They visit familiar places Ms. Steele frequented before her transition, including sports bars and diners.

“There is hatred out there,” Mr. Ferrell said told The independent. “It is very real and it is very unsafe for transgender people in certain situations. … But I don’t know why trans people are supposed to threaten me as a cis man. I don’t know why Harper is threatening me.’

Ms. Steele’s story is set against the backdrop of a country deeply divided over issues of gender identity.

According to recent data from the Pew Research Center, nearly two-thirds of American voters – 65% – believe that a person’s sex is determined by their biological sex at birth, while only 34% believe that sex can differ from sex at birth. birth.

The numbers vary widely along political lines: About 90% of supporters of former Republican President Donald Trump say a person’s gender is determined by sex at birth, while only 9% say otherwise, according to the Pew poll. Among those who support the Biden administration, 59% believe gender can differ from sex at birth, while 39% agree that birth sex is definitive.

For Mr. Ferrell, Ms. Steele’s email left him with many questions, but no doubt about whether he would support his friend. “It was quite earth-shattering news to receive,” he told the BBC, “but Harper asked me to stand by her, and if I’m as good a friend as I think I am, I had to show her that support. .”

Ms. Steele expressed concern about whether she would still feel welcome in the places she once visited as a man. “It was discouraging,” she said in the BBC interview. “This was the first time I had traveled across the country since my transition, and I knew it wouldn’t be the same.”

Ms Steele also said politicians are accused of using the transgender debate to win votes, while the media is making the situation worse.

“I think the press is jumping on this because polarization somehow helps the numbers,” she said. “And I understand that there are people in their basements and people who are angry and want to lash out. But overall, I believe people are kind, and helping someone live their truth should be everyone’s goal.”