During the premiere of Strut,
Whoopi Goldberg called on people to be respectful of the transgender
community.
Strut, which premieres Tuesday
on Oxygen, takes a look inside Slay Model Management, the world's
first exclusively transgender modeling agency.
Goldberg and Tom Leonardis executive
produce the reality show.
“This is my community,” Goldberg
told NBC OUT at the show's red carpet premiere in Los Angeles. “It's
all my community. It's all our community. People don't realize that
they have been part of this transgender world for many, many years.
And we're taking the fear out, because it's not easy to stand up and
say, 'Listen, this is who I am. And it's different from what you may
know.'”
Goldberg said that her show reminded
viewers that everyone has hopes and dreams.
“So, if you run into a transgender
person, try not to compound all the other stuff that goes into their
lives. Try to be nice, you know, respectful. Be a better person.
Don't make life harder for anybody,” Goldberg
added.