I sent the following e-mail to George Takei regarding an episode of the Jimmy Kimmel show that aired after showing Mr. Takei’s PSA video:
Hello Mr. Takei,
I want express my appreciation for the fantastic PSA video you did regarding Tim Hardaway. You stood up to the bully and his ignorant statement, spanked him on national television, and made Hardaway look ignorant and silly. You’ve become the clear winner in the court of public opinion.
The PSA video clip I’ve seen was cut from a segment of the Jimmy Kimmel Show. I’m not sure if you produced it in conjunction with the show or not, but if you did I’d like to know if you’d address something from an episode following the airing of your PSA video.
On February 21st, Jimmy Kimmel had Rebecca Romijn as a guest to discuss her new roll as a transgendered character on ABC’s ‘Ugly Betty’. During the interview he mocked transgendered men and women, made jokes while showing photos of several transgendered women, then wrapped up his "jokes" by reading from a book where a transgendered woman is hit with an ax. All for laughs… real funny.
As a transgendered woman, I’ve faced the threat of violence and didn’t find the humor Mr. Kimmel thinks is there. Mr. Kimmel’s "joke" hits close to home, even here in the tolerant San Francisco area, Gwen Araujo was beaten to death by a group of men… just like his "joke".
If you have any contact with the producers of the Jimmy Kimmel show, I’d appreciate bring attention to the fact that violence toward anyone is not funny - and that includes the LGBT community.
Here’s the segment from the 2/21/07 Jimmy Kimmel Show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qhf_uF3pgnU
All the best,
-April
P.S. "Naked Time" is one of my favorite StarTrek episodes!
