Lily Tomlin Calls Rash of Anti-LGBTQ+ Bills 'Insane' and a 'Travesty'

Lily Tomlin has spoken out against the rash of anti-LGBTQ+ and specifically anti-transgender legislation being considered and passed in states around the nation, calling it “insane.”

“I mean, limiting any group’s rights is a travesty. People cannot push backwards to that,” the out actress said in a recent interview with Yahoo Entertainment.

She had a special ire for Florida and its Republican governor, Ron DeSantis. A ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth, done as a regulation by medical boards, went into effect Thursday, and the legislature is trying to pass a law to make the ban even stricter. Florida also passed the nation’s first “don’t say gay or trans” law, limiting discussion of LGBTQ+ issues and identity in public schools.

“It’s insane,” Tomlin said. “I don’t know what DeSantis hopes to do in Florida, and I can’t believe he can marshal that many people to support him. Because most people know when injustice is being done. They sense it themselves, whether they even accept your point of view or not. At least they would be equivocating. They would just say, ‘Well, that's what that group of people wants. You know, they're not harming anyone.’”

Tomlin has long been an activist for the LGBTQ+ community, along with her wife, writer Jane Wagner. They have been benefactors of the Los Angeles LGBT Center and other organizations.

Tomlin’s film career continues as active as ever. She was featured in the ensemble comedy 80 for Brady, and she stars with longtime friend and colleague Jane Fonda in Moving On, which opens Friday. They play characters who renew their friendship at a mutual friend’s funeral and consider killing the friend’s widower, who has wronged them in the past.

Tomlin’s character in the movie, retired musician Evelyn, is widowed as well, having recently lost her wife. A subplot has her befriending and supporting a gender-curious youth.

Moving On | Official Trailer | In Theaters March 17 www.youtube.com