The Evancho siblings have earned lots of news coverage this year. Sixteen-year-old Jackie was criticized by the LGBT community for singing the national anthem at Donald Trump’s inauguration, largely because her older sibling Juliet is transgender.
On April 14, the teens joined The View for a discussion of “transgender rights,” during which, co-host Joy Behar pushed the idea that parents who object to shared bathrooms are “trouble-makers.” This comes as no surprise; in the past, Behar denounced Caitlyn Jenner’s support for the GOP, cracking that “Transgenders for Cruz is like Jews for Hitler.”
But the conversation first began with Jackie’s inaugural performance.
“Why did you do it? Why did you decide to perform?” co-host Sara Haines asked Jackie.
The teen singer quickly responded: “Well, because it was for my country and because my president asked me to sing the national anthem, you know?”
After applause, Jackie continued: “Who would say no to that? It was a huge honor, and I had to seize the opportunity. It was such an honor for me, and it was amazing.”
But the young star got plenty of flack. “People say, like ‘You’re betraying your sister, how could you do this?'” Jackie explained. “They have called me terrible words that I cannot say on television.”
Juliet supported Jackie’s performance but was unable to watch the event because of a scheduled gender-reassignment surgery. After noting this, the co-hosts shifted conversation to “transgender rights” and Juliet’s lawsuit against the Pine-Richland School District.
When Jacob Evancho publicly began going by Juliet during high school, “Everyone was OK with it,” according to the teen. But when a fellow student’s parent called the school, transgender bathroom usage became a divisive issue, leading Juliet to sue the school district for the right to use female facilities.
“No one cared about it or thought about it until this trouble-making parent?” Behar questioned.
“The adult started it,” Juliet responded. “The kids were fine.”
Notably, the media avoids referencing students who are uncomfortable with transgender bathroom usage, although they do exist. In a school district close to the Evanchos, a student named ‘Joel Doe’ has also filed a lawsuit saying that a biological girl’s use of the boys’ locker room breaches his privacy. But the networks still haven’t talked about him.
“What do you say to these people who say it’s a boy in the bathroom, girls’ room?” Behar questioned.
“That’s not an issue because I’m not a boy,” Juliet quickly responded, to copious applause.
“Apparently, they don’t get that part,” Behar added. {eoa}
This article originally appeared on NewsBusters.org.
See an error in this article?
To contact us or to submit an article
