Margaret Cho Calls Expected Reversal of Roe v. Wade and Threats to Gay Marriage “Disgusting”

I have been going to Gay Pride since 1978, so I have seen a lot! Pride has become much bigger and more elaborate. There is a lot more engagement with intersectionality, which I really appreciate, and a lot more focus on diversity within the community. There is a lot more joy around everything, which is amazing. But at the same time, we must be stronger than ever now.

Where we are in the entertainment industry is actually a great place in terms of looking to diversity and nuance. That is really important. It is undeniable how far we have come. But we still have far to go.

We are dealing with an incredibly irrational Republican Party that seems to want to legislate trans people out of existence. It is just demonic. I do not like to even think about what their motives are. But whatever issue it is, they blame it on the trans community. They blame it on the queer community. They blame everything on us, which makes no sense.

It is important to know that if the Supreme Court can overturn Roe v. Wade, they can definitely overturn so many things that we count on as queer people to even signify equality. We are not even close to equality, but now we are being pushed back on so hard by this right-wing insanity that believes that we are actually taking over. Which is never the case. It has never been that, and it is never going to be that.

I am absolutely astonished. I am livid. It is disgusting. But they have done this methodically, chipping away at our rights and our Constitution. And it is the tiny continual victories they have won that we have really let slide. It is coming from the Democratic [Party] place of not even dignifying things with a response because we are just so above it that we are not going to stoop down to their level.

It is starting to take shape that we are leaning back into this patriarchal heteronormative kind of government that can regulate who we are as people. So we have to stay together and fight for justice in all of these avenues because they all lead back to the same thing, which is loss of freedom for all of us. It does not matter what organization you back, as long as you are doing something. Abortion Access Front is a great resource. We are creating spaces of safety for women who are getting abortions in states that are starting to outlaw abortions.

It is time to stop it, stoop to their level and really sling that mud and get down there and fight. Because we cannot be polite and allow these things to happen anymore. We cannot imagine that we are living in a polite society because we are not. It’s time to really take a stand.

Margaret Cho stars in the new feature Fire Island as well as on new seasons of Hacks and The Flight Attendant.

This story first appeared in the June 8 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.