LGBTQ Advocacy Groups Respond to Trump Win

‘These Proposals Are Not Simply Un-American and Wrong-Headed, They Are Unlawful and Unconstitutional’

Pro-LGBTQ advocacy groups around the country were heavily invested in this year’s election – hell, we all were. The results have obviously not gone in our favor, and those who championed Hillary are responding to the wake of her defeat.

“Our beautiful, slowly improving, two-steps-forward-one-step-back country took a giant step backward yesterday,” said Lambda Legal CEO Rachel B. Tiven. Lambda Legal has been involved in important civil rights lawsuits deal with a range of LGBTQ issues from same-sex marriage to transgender bathroom bills. 

“It hurts. As a woman, a Jew, a queer it hurts that so many people yearn for a white, straight, Christian America that never existed. It hurts that ambition is a bad thing for a woman to have,” she said. “It hurts that we have made our country a more perfect union, but the racism built into our founding has still not been repealed, and the civil war is still not over.”

Over at the nation’s largest LGBTQ equality group, the Human Rights Campaign, President Chad Griffin, who had all but become a campaign wing for Clinton, was equally heartbroken over the loss.

“Throughout our nation’s history, we’ve faced devastating setbacks in our pursuit of a more perfect union. But even in the darkest of moments, Americans have summoned the courage and persistence to fight on,” said Griffin in a statement sent out this morning.

“This is a crucial moment for our nation and for the LGBTQ movement. The election of a man who stands opposed to our most fundamental values has left us all stunned. There will be time to analyze the results of this election, but we cannot afford to dwell. We must meet these challenges head on.

Griffin noted the negative and discriminatory tone of Trump’s campaign and just what that could mean for the future of America.

“The defeats we have suffered tonight demonstrate that our future victories will require us to dig deeper and work harder to continue bending the moral arc of the universe toward justice and equality. We must fight to protect our progress, and to limit the damage that Donald Trump has promised.”

GLAAD, which focuses on bettering LGBTQ representation in the media, released a blanket condemning Trump, calling his campaign and the Republican platform this year the “most hateful in history.”

“America stands tallest when it stands firmly in its founding principle that all people are created equal. With the election behind him, President-elect Trump must now rise above divisive politics and side with the vast majority of Americans who demand equality for their LGBTQ friends, family, and neighbors,” the group wrote. “While disappointed, we are certainly not defeated; the pursuit of full acceptance will continue until everyone, no matter who they are or who they love, can simply live the life they love.”

The ACLU has by far the most combative strategy in mind if Trump plans to make good on some of his campaign promises. From plans to remove 11 million undocumented immigrants to banning the entry of Muslims into our country, punishing women for accessing abortion or reauthorize waterboarding and other forms of torture, ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero said if any of these policies are pushed into place, they’ll take the new president to court.

These proposals are not simply un-American and wrong-headed, they are unlawful and unconstitutional. They violate the First, Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, and 14th Amendments. If you do not reverse course and instead endeavor to make these campaign promises a reality, you will have to contend with the full firepower of the ACLU at every step. Our staff of litigators and activists in every state, thousands of volunteers and millions of card-carrying members and supporters are ready to fight against any encroachment on our cherished freedoms and rights.

 

This article was originally published at GayRVA and is re-published with permission
Image by Brad Kutner/GayRVA