Jonathan Van Ness on the limits of queer TV representation: ‘If visibility were the answer, we wouldn’t have Trump’
"I've heard people almost use Queer Eye ... as a barometer for the health of queer people or our community at large - we really clearly can see that that isn't the case"
By Gary Grimes
Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness has spoken out about the current political climate for queer people in the US.
In an appearance on the How To Fail podcast, Van Ness spoke to host Elizabeth Day about their belief people should not be comforted merely by the presence of queer people on television or in the media.
“So often I have heard people almost use Queer Eye or use other queer representation as a barometer for the health of queer people or our community at large,” he began. “We really clearly can see that that isn’t the case.”
“Just because there’s more queer things on television and more access to queer visibility, it doesn’t mean that queer visibility is not important. I think it’s very clear that queer visibility isn’t the answer because if it was the answer, we wouldn’t have Donald Trump in the presidency,” Van Ness continued. “We wouldn’t have this house and Senate outlaw trans participation in sports.”
The hairstylist and TV personality went on to draw what he sees as a direct link between the overturning of Roe vs Wade (which ensured women’s reproductive rights in the US) in 2022 and the current persecution of trans people in both the US media and politics.
“I just think it’s no coincidence that after Roe was overturned in 2022, the anti-trans vitriol has risen at the same pace because how do you divide and conquer?” Van Ness said. “You have to make a bigger threat and so once the ultimate threat was carried out on women in 27 states in the United States where they no longer have access to reproductive healthcare, it’s a pretty convenient boogie person to come up with in trans women or just trans people.”
“I still do love America but I wish we could get it the fuck together”
Later in the podcast, Day asks Van Ness if he feels less safe in Trump’s America, to which he responded: “A hundred percent.” He went on to say that he would be fearful to wear heels in public where he lives in Texas. “It’s gotten worse, even just in the last four years. I don’t wear heels to dinner there, it has totally gotten worse.”
“Because if you did wear heels to dinner?” Day asked, to which he clarified: “I’m literally thinking about where the exits are. I can’t run as fast if I’m in a heel.”
He concluded by explaining that in spite of their fears, he maintains a love for their country. “I just feel so bad,” he mentioned. “It’s our community, but it’s also gun violence. It’s just violence, period. It’s weird, but I still do love America but I wish we could get it the fuck together.”
You can listen to JVN’s full interview on the How To Fail podcast here.