On Saturday morning, CNN’s First of All with Victor Blackwell featured a gushy talking-points interview with trans activist T.S. Madison. The two discussed the “erasure of trans people” and the potential impact of the Save America Act. Madison warned parents that they need to be “protecting” their kids from the “people making these laws.”
The conversation began with Blackwell describing Madison as “one of the most visible trans Americans” in the entertainment industry. In response, Madison argued, “We’re living in a climate right now where the erasure of trans people is, it seems, as it’s been priority number one in this administration.”
After mentioning the Time cover story in 2014 touting trans woman activist Laverne Cox, Blackwell asked Madison: “You talked about the erasure. Talk about some of the things that I’ve heard from your team impacting you in this climate.”
Madison mentioned a bill against stalking and harassing people, because “the judicial system still works and that the protections for people in general, just human beings, it still works because what is — what I’ve noticed in the social climate of the situation is I’ve been dehumanized because I’m trans and a large percentage of us are. Well, majority of trans people are being dehumanized.”
T.S. Madison explains the “erasure” of trans individuals#cnn #tsmadison @victorblackwell #news pic.twitter.com/hlQw22RjDm
— Sarah (@scbpoli) April 2, 2026
Blackwell then shifted the conversation to statistics released by the leftist Human Rights Campaign Foundation on “Trans Day of Remembrance,” which highlighted data on violence against the trans community: “Since 2013, 70 percent of transgender and gender non-conforming victims of violence were people of color. 82 percent Transgender women, nearly 60 percent were black trans women, 71 percent of them shot to death. We don’t talk enough, I think about the physical threat to not only trans people, but people of color. What do we need to know behind those numbers?”
Madison responded, “We need to know that behind those numbers is that people are always trying to find some way to justify it.” Conservatives justify violence? Advocacy groups like the Human Rights Campaign link this violence to a lack of “acceptance” from conservatives. CNN isn’t going to invite any conservatives on to disagree.
Then Blackwell emphasized that at the “center of the political conversation,” the Save America Act was expanded to “prohibiting transgender athletes from playing on sports teams aligned with their gender identity [and] banning already rare surgical procedures for trans youth.”
Madison concluded by stressing the importance of people voting and noted, “the way that you garner votes is you fearmonger, especially from this regime.” Madison’s response to parents who ask, “How can we protect my kids from trans?” was, “No, you need to be protecting your kids from the people who are making these laws.”
Click “Expand” to view the transcript:
First of All With Victor Blackwell
3/28/2026
8:41:39-8:46:06
VICTOR BLACKWELL: You are one of the most visible trans Americans in movies, on television, podcasting. What is the value of a day of trans visibility in this moment?
TS MADISON (ENTERTAINER AND ACTIVIST): People need to understand that your visibility is your activism. Your presence is your advocacy. Because we’re living in a climate right now where the erasure of trans people is, it seems, as it’s been priority number one in this administration.
And so what I enjoy about being T.S. Madison is that not only do I advocate for visibility and my activism is rooted in you seeing me. I encourage others to not be afraid and to be, you know, exactly who you are and live out loud. How long do we know life is?
BLACKWELL: Yes. Yes.
MADISON: And it’s no reason for us to be living in the shadows.
BLACKWELL: It’s been 12 years since your friend Laverne Cox was on Cover Time magazine.
MADISON: Yes. That’s my girl.
BLACKWELL: Yeah. That cover the transgender tipping point and that was obviously a different climate in 2014.
MADISON: It was.
BLACKWELL: You talked about the erasure. Talk about some of the things that I’ve heard from your team impacting you in this climate.
MADISON: Currently right now, you know, I’m going through a lot of situations in my own personal life and I’m doing my best now to fight back against that. I plan on trying to communicate around a bill that helps people like myself in stalking situations and harassment and cyberbullying and doxxing.
And so, what I’ve learned through this situation that’s going on in my personal life right now is that the judicial system still works and that the protections for people in general, just human beings, it still works because what is — what I’ve noticed in the social climate of the situation is I’ve been dehumanized because I’m trans and a large percentage of us are. Well, majority of trans people are being dehumanized.
And so because of that, people think that the law is not there to protect us because of what’s going on in politics.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
MADISON: But the law still works for human beings and so my goal is to push for new sanctions and bills for the protection of trans people.
BLACKWELL: Talking about protection and specifically on trans people of color, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, they published their latest numbers. This was on Trans Day of Remembrance end of last year. Tracking violence against the trans community. Since 2013, 70 percent of transgender and gender non-conforming victims of violence were people of color. 82 percent Transgender women, nearly 60 percent were black trans women, 71 percent of them shot to death.
We don’t talk enough, I think about the physical threat to not only trans people, but people of color. What do we need to know behind those numbers?
MADISON: We need to know that behind those numbers is that people are always trying to find some way to justify it. And the reason why it’s not talked about enough is because what I’m noticing from the social climate is everyone is always trying to blame the victim or find fault within the victim instead of listening to the people — to the victim say, I’m a victim.
BLACKWELL: At the center of the political conversation right now is the Save America Act. President Trump initially wanted this to be about voting and requiring passport or citizenship to register to vote, but then added trans legislation prohibiting transgender athletes from playing on sports teams aligned with their gender identity, banning already rare surgical procedures for trans youth.
What do you make of that making its way to the center of the political conversation and to a voting bill?
MADISON: Well, you have to understand that votes count and you need people to vote. And so the way that you garner votes is you fear monger, especially from this regime. Do you know how much I’ve watched people say, I don’t agree with this, what the President is doing, and I don’t agree with the policies of this, but that trans stuff, I can get with that. Like, I want to protect my kids. How can we protect my kids from trans? No, you need to be protecting your kids from the people that are making these laws.
