North Carolina's anti-trans bathroom law is ridiculous, and this interview proves it.

Shop
 Explore 

Journalists really should take note.

In March, North Carolina passed a no good, very bad, anti-transgender law — but you might know that already.

Essentially, it requires trans people to use whichever bathroom corresponds with the gender listed on their birth certificate, which creates all sorts of problems.

Here's North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory. Photo by Davis Turner/Getty Images.

It came in direct response to a Charlotte ordinance about to be enacted that would have actually protected trans people.

But sadly, most of the news coverage about the Charlotte ordinance consisted of news anchors simply repeating the anti-trans talking points.

GIF from Media Matters for America/YouTube.

And while the state of North Carolina received some major backlash after passing the anti-trans law, most journalists continued to present it in a "Who's to say, really?" kind of way.

Well, that stopped last night, when Megyn Kelly of Fox News interviewed North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory.

Finally! Someone was ready to directly address these issues. Kelly came away looking like a pro, while Gov. McCrory left flustered, clinging to his talking points about tradition and expectations of privacy.

Here are a couple of the highlights:

On the idea that allowing trans people to use the correct bathroom will somehow be a violation of privacy:

GIFs from Mediaite/YouTube.

McCrory deflected.

On debunking the idea that transgender people are somehow more likely to be sexual criminals:

McCrory's response here? To deny the existence of trans people, saying that he doesn't "use that term." As we all know, if you don't say something aloud, it doesn't exist, right?!

Throughout this and other interviews, McCrory has said that his concern isn't about transgender people, but about "men" sneaking into women's restrooms and claiming they're transgender as an excuse (which, for the record, has never happened in any of the 17 states and more than 200 cities across the country that have trans-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinances).

Good for Kelly for not letting him skate by on the usual talking points.

There was one thing Gov. McCrory was right about: This isn't an issue he started.

Anti-trans individuals have been murmuring about this for years. States and cities have tried and, at times, succeeded in passing laws designed to deny transgender people their basic human rights (everybody poops, right?). It's only in the spotlight of increased visibility — which, as this situation highlights, is a double-edged sword — that states have made this a national issue, painting trans people as sexual deviants and a danger to children.

We know what it looks like when trans people aren't allowed to use the correct bathroom, and it'd seem to be the opposite of what McCrory and other anti-trans individuals say they want.

Watching Kelly run circles around McCrory seems to indicate that just maybe this whole thing wasn't thought through.

Well done, Megyn Kelly. Well done.

GIF from "Citizen Kane."

Watch Megyn Kelly's epic interview with North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory below.

From Your Site Articles

A new Tennessee anti-Transgender bathroom law is equal parts offensive and dumb - Upworthy ›

Joy

1991 blooper clip of Robin Williams and Elmo is a wholesome nugget of comedic genius

Robin Williams is still bringing smiles to faces after all these years.

Canva via wikicommons and flicker

Robin Williams and Elmo (Kevin Clash) bloopers.

The late Robin Williams could make picking out socks funny, so pairing him with the fuzzy red monster Elmo was bound to be pure wholesome gold. Honestly, how the puppeteer, Kevin Clash, didn’t completely break character and bust out laughing is a miracle. In this short outtake clip, you get to see Williams crack a few jokes in his signature style while Elmo tries desperately to keep it together.

Williams has been a household name since what seems like the beginning of time, and before his death in 2014, he would make frequent appearances on "Sesame Street." The late actor played so many roles that if you were ask 10 different people what their favorite was, you’d likely get 10 different answers. But for the kids who spent their childhoods watching PBS, they got to see him being silly with his favorite monsters and a giant yellow canary. At least I think Big Bird is a canary.

When he stopped by "Sesame Street" for the special “Big Bird's Birthday or Let Me Eat Cake” in 1991, he was there to show Elmo all of the wonderful things you could do with a stick. Williams turns the stick into a hockey stick and a baton before losing his composure and walking off camera. The entire time, Elmo looks enthralled … if puppets can look enthralled. He’s definitely paying attention before slumping over at the realization that Williams goofed a line. But the actor comes back to continue the scene before Elmo slinks down inside his box after getting Williams’ name wrong, which causes his human co-star to take his stick and leave.

The little blooper reel is so cute and pure that it makes you feel good for a few minutes. For an additional boost of serotonin, check out this other (perfectly executed) clip about conflict that Williams did with the two-headed monster. He certainly had a way of engaging his audience, so it makes sense that even after all of these years, he's still greatly missed.

From Your Site Articles

robin williams

Joy

Honest barbershop owners return stolen Olympic gold medal to US women's volleyball player

A gold medal is priceless.

via Anaheim Police Department

Noe Hernandez and Maria Carrillo, the owners of Noel Barber Shop in Anaheim, California.

Jordyn Poulter was the youngest member of the U.S. women’s volleyball team, which took home the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics last year. She was named the best setter at the Tokyo games and has been a member of the team since 2018.

Unfortunately, according to a report from ABC 7 News, her gold medal was stolen from her car in a parking garage in Anaheim, California, on May 25.

It was taken along with her passport, which she kept in her glove compartment. While storing a gold medal in your car probably isn’t the best idea, she did it to keep it by her side while fulfilling the hectic schedule of an Olympian.

"We live this crazy life of living so many different places. So many of us play overseas, then go home, then come out here and train,” Poulter said, according to ABC 7. "So I keep the medal on me (to show) friends and family I haven't seen in a while, or just people in the community who want to see the medal. Everyone feels connected to it when they meet an Olympian, and it's such a cool thing to share with people."

Keep ReadingShow less

heroes

Education

Teacher of the year explains why he's leaving district in unforgettable 3-minute speech

"I'm leaving in hopes that I can regain the ability to do the job that I love."

Lee Allen

For all of our disagreements in modern American life, there are at least a few things most of us can agree on. One of those is the need for reform in public education. We don't all agree on the solutions but many of the challenges are undeniable: retaining great teachers, reducing classroom size and updating the focus of student curriculums to reflect the ever-changing needs of a globalized workforce.

And while parents, politicians and activists debate those remedies, one voice is all-too-often ignored: that of teachers themselves.

This is why a short video testimony from a teacher in the Atlanta suburb of Gwinnett County went viral recently. After all, it's hard to deny the points made by someone who was just named teacher of the year and used the occasion to announce why he will be leaving the very school district that just honored him with that distinction.