Juliet Evancho has defended her sister’s Trump inauguration performance
Juliet Evancho has defended her sister’s decision to perform at President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony.
The transgender 18-year-old said that her sister, Jackie, would be “singing for our country” and that it was a “honour”.
Jackie Evancho, the 16-year-old singer who rose to fame after coming second place in America’s Got Talent, accepted Trump’s invitation to sing at the ceremony on January the 20th sparking backlash.
Jackie was criticised over accepting the invitation because of her sisters transgender identity.
Trump and his cabinet are becoming notoriously anti-LGBT, which stood as a reason that Jackie should not perform at the ceremony for many.
However, Juliet has defended her sister Jackie in an interview with CBS.
Juliet said: “The way I look at it is, Jackie is singing for our country, and it’s an honour for her to be singing in front of so many people.
“So I feel that’s really where I look at it. And that’s where I’m going to leave it right now.”
Juliet will not be at the performance because she “had other plans”, but insisted she would be there “in spirit”.
The trans teen has been an advocate for the transgender community since she came out to her parents two years ago.
The Pennsylvania student was one of the three students who decided to sue to school district in a federal court over the policy.
The board passed the vote in September after parents complained, but Juliet and her peers do not believe school officials are doing enough to protect them from harassment.
“This is my senior year. I should be worried about what college I’m going to, not what bathroom I should be using,” said Juliet.
“I’m a teenager. I have teenage problems that any normal teenage girl would have, and now I have these issues with the school.”
The rule is similar to the controversial bathroom bill in North Carolina.