A 40-day Jeopardy! winning streak is just the beginning for Amy Schneider
A post shared by Amy Schneider (@jeopardamy)Over 40 days, Amy Schneider went from an engineering manager to a household name.
With anti-LGBTQ legislation sweeping the country, it feels like poetic justice that a trans woman found a platform for trans visibility to be broadcast into the homes across America.After two years of a pandemic in which LGBTQ folks all across the country were unable to access their usual bars, centers, and Pride parades, here was Oakland, California, trans woman and Dayton, Ohio, native Schneider queering Jeopardy!, the beloved American game show that has aired in millions of American living rooms for almost 60 years. Related: Amy Schneider, BADASS winner at the 10th Anniversary of the QueertiesSchneider has been a champion for transgender visibility at a time when it’s most needed simply by showing up authentically and sharing her encyclopedic knowledge on a national platform.The entire country watched as she racked up 40 consecutive wins over 40 days and nearly $1.4 million in prize money, her streak helping boost viewership.
She was a delightful presence, always modest, warm, and sporting her signature string of pearls. It was also an opportunity for Schneider to reflect on her personal journey. “Six months ago, none of you had heard of Amy Schneider,” she said at the 10th anniversary Queerty Awards. “but six years ago I had never heard of Amy Schneider.
There was nobody when I was growing up to actually represent who trans people are.”“I am so glad that I have given trans people out there the knowledge that this is a thing that trans people can be.”It was also a pivotal moment, a reckoning, for Schneider, who has been so associated with the program that her Twitter handle is @Jeopardamy.
