Back in February, upon wrapping up her historic “Jeopardy!” winning streak, Amy Schneider said she was “having a lot of meetings.”
This week, Schneider's meetings involved a trip to the White House to advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.
On Thursday, Schneider visited the White House in honor of International Transgender Day of Visibility.
Schneider, 42, is the first transgender contestant to compete on the "Jeopardy!" Tournament of Champions, and the first female champ on the beloved game show to surpass $1 million in earnings.
While at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Schneider met with second gentleman, Doug Emhoff, and took the opportunity to make a statement about the wave of controversial anti-LGBTQ legislation that has moved across the country in the last year.
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As People noted, more than 25 different pieces of legislation have been proposed that restrict trans children from getting gender-affirming health care. 11 states have also enacted bans against transgender athletes.
While meeting with reporters in the White House Briefing Room, Schneider spoke of the “scary” laws.
"Some of them, in particular, are denying medical services to trans youth,” she said. “Those are life-saving medical treatments. These bills could cause the deaths of children, and that's really sad to me, and it's really frightening."
While these laws are dire for trans youth, Schneider offered words of encouragement.
"Hang in there," she said. "I think that this backlash right now is temporary. I think that the country overall is on our side, and getting more so every day, and I think it's not gonna be too long until these sorts of bills are seen as a thing of the past."
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Schneider later exhibited some of that charming humblebrag personality that shone through when she continuously conquered her “Jeopardy!” opponents at the beginning of the year. She posted a CSPAN clip of her with the reporters, with the caption, "So, um, this happened. They did *not* tell me I would be asked questions, but put me on a stage and I just can't help but perform lol."
Schneider’s visit was just one of the events the White House sponsored to commemorate International Transgender Day of Visibility on Thursday.
President Joe Biden also celebrated the day with a video message to transgender Americans, stating that, "our entire administration sees you for who you are: made in the image of God and deserving of dignity, respect and support."
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