Trump Promised He Would Be the Most Pro-LGBT President Ever
President Donald Trump appears to have decided to ignore LGBT Pride Month. While the President on Wednesday signed proclamations honoring June as Great Outdoors Month, National Homeownership Month, African-American Music Appreciation Month, and National Ocean Month, he has not issued a proclamation honoring LGBT Pride Month.
(Given that Trump is expected to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement at 3 PM today, honoring June as Great Outdoors Month and National Ocean Month seems especially hypocritical.)
Last year in June President Trump posted a surprising tweet, disconnected from anything that was actually happening:
That same week last year, during a speech on terrorism Trump falsely claimed he is the most pro-gay candidate in any major party running for office, and assailed the Obama administration’s record on LGBT civil rights, which he called “LBGT.” Days earlier he had addressed one of the most anti-LGBT crowds in America, Ralph Reed’s Faith & Freedom Coalition, promising he would “restore faith to its proper mantle in our society,” and his administration “will respect and defend Christian Americans. Christian Americans,” he repeated for emphasis.
In case there had been any confusion on Trump’s stance on same-sex marriage – he is wholly opposed – candidate Trump posted this tweet last year:
“There is no reception on Trump’s agenda, and the absence of a Pride Month proclamation is quite conspicuous,” Zack Ford at ThinkProgress writes today. He notes that Trump “could have become the first Republican president to acknowledge Pride Month with a proclamation, but he didn’t — and the silence is deafening.”
Shin Inouyeâ€, the former Obama administration White House Office of Communications Director of Specialty Media and USCIS Press Secretary and Acting Senior Advisor for Intergovernmental & External Affairs, made clear Trump “couldn’t be bothered” to include LGBT people in his monthly proclamations:
President Obama, by comparison, every June opened the White House up for celebrations with the LGBT community, hosting events for LGBT activists, LGBT journalists, and others. Here he is in 2012:
Of course, proclamations aren’t policy, but Trump has made clear he will not support the LGBT community. His DOJ and Education Dept. rescinded the Obama-era guidelines protecting transgender children, his “health care” plan would devastate LGBT people and people living with HIV/AIDS, his cabinet and senior staff, with very few exceptions, are anti-LGBT; the list goes on and on.
But in case President Trump wants to know what an LGBT Pride Month proclamation looks like, here is President Barack Obama’s from 2016:
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THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release May 31, 2016
LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER PRIDE MONTH, 2016
——-
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
Since our founding, America has advanced on an unending
path toward becoming a more perfect Union. This journey, led
by forward-thinking individuals who have set their sights on
reaching for a brighter tomorrow, has never been easy or smooth.
The fight for dignity and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual,
and transgender (LGBT) people is reflected in the tireless
dedication of advocates and allies who strive to forge a more
inclusive society. They have spurred sweeping progress by
changing hearts and minds and by demanding equal treatment --
under our laws, from our courts, and in our politics. This
month, we recognize all they have done to bring us to this
point, and we recommit to bending the arc of our Nation toward
justice.
Last year's landmark Supreme Court decision guaranteeing
marriage equality in all 50 States was a historic victory for
LGBT Americans, ensuring dignity for same-sex couples and
greater equality across State lines. For every partnership
that was not previously recognized under the law and for
every American who was denied their basic civil rights, this
monumental ruling instilled newfound hope, affirming the belief
that we are all more free when we are treated as equals.
LGBT individuals deserve to know their country stands
beside them. That is why my Administration is striving to
better understand the needs of LGBT adults and to provide
affordable, welcoming, and supportive housing to aging LGBT
Americans. It is also why we oppose subjecting minors to the
harmful practice of conversion therapy, and why we are
continuing to promote equality and foster safe and supportive
learning environments for all students. We remain committed to
addressing health disparities in the LGBT community -- gay
and bisexual men and transgender women of color are at a
particularly high risk for HIV, and we have worked to strengthen
our National HIV/AIDS Strategy to reduce new infections,
increase access to care, and improve health outcomes for people
living with HIV.
Despite the extraordinary progress of the past few years,
LGBT Americans still face discrimination simply for being who
they are. I signed an Executive Order in 2014 that prohibits
discrimination against Federal employees and contractors on the
basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. I urge the
Congress to enact legislation that builds upon the progress we
have made, because no one should live in fear of losing their
job simply because of who they are or who they love. And
our commitment to combatting discrimination against the LGBT
community does not stop at our borders: Advancing the fair
treatment of all people has long been a cornerstone of American
diplomacy, and we have made defending and promoting the human
rights of LGBT individuals a priority in our engagement across
the globe. In line with America's commitment to the notion that
all people should be treated fairly and with respect, champions
of this cause at home and abroad are upholding the simple truth
that LGBT rights are human rights.
There remains much work to do to extend the promise of our
country to every American, but because of the acts of courage of
the millions who came out and spoke out to demand justice and of
those who quietly toiled and pushed for progress, our Nation has
made great strides in recognizing what these brave individuals
long knew to be true in their hearts -- that love is love and
that no person should be judged by anything but the content of
their character. During Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender
Pride Month, as Americans wave their flags of pride high and
march boldly forward in parades and demonstrations, let us
celebrate how far we have come and reaffirm our steadfast
belief in the equal dignity of all Americans.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested
in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States,
do hereby proclaim June 2016 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the
United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists,
and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord
two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and fortieth.
BARACK OBAMA
###Â
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