Where is Jonathan Van Ness from? Childhood explored as 'Queer Eye' star breaks down during trans debate with Dax Shepard

American hairstylist and television personality Jonathan Van Ness got emotional while defending transgender kids. While appearing on an episode of Dax Shepard's podcast, Armchair Expert, the 36-year-old personality had a passionate discussion with the host about whether Joe Biden was the country's "best option" before shifting to The New York Times political inclination.

The duo's conversation then shifted to Jonathan Van Ness arguing that the readers' interpretation of recent stories regarding gender-affirming treatment as "anti-trans" is not the reason. To this, Dax Shepard raised some conservative questions, stating:

“Some people are very uncomfortable about teenagers transitioning. How do we know that the person’s not gonna change their mind? Then there’s another counterargument. If they kill themselves, then that’s really f–king permanent. … To even question it makes you an enemy. I don’t think that’s the way forward.”

Van Ness, who is nonbinary and uses they/he/she pronouns, clapped back at the Zathura star stating that he felt that he was "talking to my dad." He then shifted the conversation to trans athletes and how they are not in a competitive advantage like others think.

“All I’m saying is what we know about misinformation and disinformation is when you have an outsized reaction to something, there’s a good chance that you’re being exposed to misinformation and disinformation. And a lot of the rhetoric around the anti-trans backlash does have a lot of misinformation and disinformation in it.”

---

Jonathan Van Ness elaborated on how he finds it "disappointing" when people exclude trans kids from sports

During the same heated discussion, Jonathan Van Ness, who hails from Quincy, Illinois, remarked that he finds it "disappointing" to see people think that they are fighting for women when they don't include trans children in sports.

The Queer Eye star also added that he was not labeling Shepard or his co-host Monica Padman "transphobic" but was just emotional about trans kids not being included. While speaking about his LGBTQ+ work, he said:

“I just get a lot of little kids who aren’t allowed to, like, join groups. I was really bullied for my gender expression as a little kid. And there’s a lot of little kids who aren’t going to go be Olympic gold medalist. They don’t want to f–king go to the Olympics. They’re not gonna play —90 to 99% of kids who want to play sports aren’t trying to go to the Olympics, right?”

Jonathan Van Ness then said that he just wanted to discuss his podcast but feels bad about trans kids. While speaking through tears, the Gay of Thrones star said:

"I could just cry because I’m so tired of having to fight for little kids because they just want to be included. I wish that people were as passionate about little kids being able to be included or grow up as they were about fictitious women’s fairness in sports. I have to tell you I am very tired. I’m scared of the vitriol that trans people face everyday.”

The conversation ended after Dax Shepard and Padman apologized to the television personality before changing the topic.