Queer Eye host Jonathan Van Ness broke down in tears when actor Dax Shepard refused to agree 100 percent with the TV host’s radical transgender views during an appearance on Shepard’s podcast.
Van Ness was Shepard’s guest on this week’s Armchair Expert podcast and the topic soon landed on the disagreements the two have over LGBTQ topics, especially about the transgender issue.
Shepard, for instance, felt Van Ness was too quick to utterly dismiss the concerns conservatives have over transgenderism and that they aren’t just dumb and misinformed, The Messenger reported.
“I don’t love how you’re framing it right now, which is, ‘If the right was educated, they would pick our side,’” Shepard explained. “I reject that. They are conservative. They don’t like how quickly the country is changing. I understand that. I can sympathize with that. They have different fears than we do. It’s not because they’re dumb or uneducated. They have a difference of opinion.”
But Van Ness persisted and said that conservatives are mired in “misinformation and disinformation” about transgender issues. refused
Still, Shepard, who often espoused centrist ideas that annoy the left, noted that many people are very uncomfortable with the idea of visiting permanent and dangerous medical procedures on children.
“Some people are very uncomfortable about teenagers transitioning,” Shepard said. “They’re challenging that. ‘How do we know the person isn’t going to change their mind?’ And then there’s another counter-argument, ‘Well, if they kill themselves, then that’s really f—ing permanent.’ That’s a good counter-argument.”
Van Ness was increasingly disgusted by the discussion, and even exclaimed, “I feel like I’m talking to my Dad.”
Shepard insisted that he isn’t on the “opposite side” of the trans discussion, agreed that there are “many people targeting queer people,” and said he was not his guest’s opponent. But Shepard still seemed skeptical over male-born transgender “women” playing sports against natural-born women.
Jonathan Van Ness attends the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards at Prudential Center on August 26, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images)
Shepard went on to say that he was “bummed” that he could agree with none out of ten talking points, but Van Ness would still characterize him as an enemy.
“The thing that I’m bummed about, right, is that if you wanted to lay out your points where you’d say this would make you supportive of the movement and you laid out 10,” Shepard exclaimed, “if I’m along for nine of them and not the tenth, you file me in this enemy category?”
Van Ness tried to back track a bit, insisting that he did not view Shepard as an enemy, but added, “I’m just saying it is disappointing.”
“I’m not calling you a transphobe,” Van Ness continued. “You cannot be transphobic and still have thoughts that espouse trans misogyny and espouse transphobic ideologies or beliefs and not be transphobic.”
But then Van Ness broke down in tears over the discussion.
“I could cry because I’m so tired of having to fight for little kids because they just want to be included,” Van Ness said through tears. “I wish people were as passionate about little kids being able to be included or grow up as they were about fictitious women’s fairness in sports. I have to tell you I am very tired.”
At that point, Shepard apologized for getting so contentious, to which Van Ness said, “I’m just emotionally exhausted.”
Here is the full episode:
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