Hillary Clinton Blasts Trump Administration’s ‘Striking and Scary’ Attacks on LGBT Community (Video)

“Gay Rights Are Human Rights—and Human Rights Are Gay Rights”

Democratic presidential nominee and winner of the 2016 popular vote Hillary Clinton spoke out against the Trump administration’s attacks on the LGBT community late Saturday at the Human Rights Campaign’s National Dinner.

The former First Lady, Senator and Secretary of State was met with a standing ovation and thunderous applause at the organization’s 21stt annual HRC National Dinner in D.C., which raises funds to fight for LGBT equality.

“Hillary Clinton has spent a lifetime fighting for the vulnerable, marginalized, and oppressed — and she’s not about to back down now,” HRC President Chad Griffin said. “As we confront powerful political forces built on hate and fear, Hillary — and the majority of American voters who backed her — have continued to champion the values that truly make America great. We are grateful to Hillary Clinton for being our steadfast champion each and every day.”

On Twitter, Hillary noted that there was “no one I would rather share initials with than [the HRC]” as the organization thanked her for her commitment to equality:

“You’ve made me a better First Lady, a better senator, a better secretary of State, a better presidential nominee, a better person,” Clinton addressed the cheering crowd. “You embraced me and my family and everywhere I went on the campaign trail, I not only saw those blue and yellow t-shirts out in force… but I heard your stories.”

Clinton reflected on her experiences and conversations with members of the LGBT community: business owners, parents, children and veterans. “Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your courage, your tireless efforts, your enthusiasm and energy. Thank you for your commitment to building an America that’s fairer, kinder, more compassionate—and yes equal.”

Clinton soon turned to the “striking and scary” attacks on the LGBT community “here at home and around the world.”

“I can only imagine what it’s like to be in the position that so many people still find themselves in in our country,” she said. “I do know what it feels like to be torn down and attacked, and I want you to know that I’m with you.”

As The Advocate reported:

Clinton blasted Trump’s rolling back of protections for trans students, and his sudden ban on transgender people serving in the military, calling it “insulting and wrong.”

Unlike Trump, Clinton directly address international attacks on LGBT people, including the kidnapping, torturing, and killing of gay men in Chechnya. She pivoted to the arrest of people for waving a Pride flag in Cairo, and criticized the State department for refusing to condemn the executions of LGBT people. She then reiterated a line she said as secretary of State: “Gay rights are human rights and human rights are gay rights.”

The full video can be seen below:

This month, Donald Trump headlined an anti-LGBT summit that featured gay conversion therapy exhibits and guidance on “overcoming transgenderism.”

As NCRM has reported, Trump’s administration administration has ignited a war with the LGBT community, despite the (clearly false) claims of the president that he was a friend. Also earlier this month, they pulled support for the historic Stonewall National Monument, designated by President Obama in honor of the Stonewall Uprising, a launching point of the modern LGBT civil rights movement.

Trump completely ignored the first Pride Month after marriage equality and the massacre at Pulse in Orlando, issuing no White House proclamation and holding no White House events.

They further argued in court this month that gay workers weren’t protected from discrimination under federal law, didn’t support a U.N. resolution condemning the death penalty for same-sex relations and rescinded Obama-era government policy protecting transgender workers from discrimination.

Furthermore, Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a sweeping order prioritizing “religious liberty” over the civil rights of LGBT Americans.

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