Amy Schneider is using her platform for good.
In honor of Transgender Day of Visibility on Thursday, the Jeopardy! champion, 42, took a trip to Washington, D.C., to visit the White House.
While there, Schneider met with second gentleman Doug Emhoff and spoke out against the recent wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation currently under consideration across the U.S.
Over 25 different pieces of legislation have been proposed this year by Republican-led state governments that restrict transgender children from getting gender-affirming health care. Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia have also implemented bans against transgender athletes.
“They’re really scary,” Schneider said of the proposed laws during a brief interview with reporters. “Some of them, in particular, are denying medical services to trans youth. 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.”
Schneider also said she was “really honored to be here and really grateful that this was being celebrated, that the Trans people are being celebrated in a place like this,” and later provided trans youth with a message 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.”
NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Amy Schneider at The White House
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Ahead of Schneider’s visit, the Jeopardy! champ documented her excitement and her preparation for the big event on social media.
“I know I haven’t been posting a lot on here, but I’ve been traveling all over the country these past few weeks,” she tweeted alongside two selfies. “This morning, for instance, we’re getting ready to visit, well… THE WHITE HOUSE!!!!! It’s hard to believe this is really happening.”
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She also shared the video of herself speaking in front of reporters, which she captioned, “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.”
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 https://t.co/1te0VLKkPz
— Amy Schneider (@Jeopardamy) March 31, 2022
Schneider’s meeting at the White House comes a few months after she became the most successful female contender in the history of Jeopardy! and the first woman to surpass $1 million in earnings. She is also the first transgender contestant to compete on Jeopardy!‘s Tournament of Champions.
In January, she told PEOPLE that it was “really great” to represent the trans community on the show.
“I had had feelings, kind of a little bit, of almost guilt at just sort of how easy it’s generally been for me, the path of being a trans woman. It’s easy because of the work and sacrifice that so many people before me made,” she explained. “There was sort of a little bit of a feeling of guilt about just sort of reaping all the benefits of that without feeling like I was giving much back.”
“To be making an impact now and to be giving something back without trying, with just doing something I was planning to do anyway, is really great,” she added.
She also revealed in a recent interview with PEOPLE for the 2022 Women Changing the World issue that messages from the LGBTQ+ community began pouring in almost immediately after her first episode aired.
“Somebody said their grandfather was using the right pronouns for a trans person for the first time ever,” she recalled. “That made me realize I was making people’s lives better.”
Casey Durkin/Jeopardy Productions, Inc. Amy Schneider
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Schneider’s visit was just one of many ways the White House marked Transgender Day of Visibility on Thursday.
President Joe Biden also commemorated the day with a video message to transgender Americans, saying, “our entire administration sees you for who you are: made in the image of God and deserving of dignity, respect and support.”
“Visibility matters, and so many transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming Americans are thriving,” Biden, 79, noted, before addressing the “onslaught of anti-transgender state laws,” which he called “simply wrong.”
“We must honor their lives with action by advancing equity and civil rights for all transgender people,” he said. “To any transgender American who’s struggling, please know you’re not alone. To parents and children alike, please ask for help. And know this: You’re so brave. You belong. And we have your back.”
Additionally, the White House hosted transgender youth and their parents on Thursday, while Education Secretary Miguel Cardona met with transgender students in Orlando, Florida, according to The Hill.
