Trump? An Ally? Not in this lifetime.
- Ellie
- Oct 19, 2017
- 3 min read
It's not a secret, Trump's administration is out to get us! In spite of their efforts to make people believe that this presidential era is LGBT progressive, they have found plenty of time to discrimiate us socially and under the law. Throughout his campaign, Trump swore to be a better champion for the LGBT community. Last year, Trump used his favorite means of communication to let the LGBT community know he's got our back:
Bafflingly enough, according to exit polls by the New York Times, approximately 14% of LGBT voters voted for Trump in the 2016 presidential election. That is14% too many, given that his very own running mate, and now VP--Mike Pence, has an anti-LGBT history. Much like the politicians Trump claims not to be like, he lied to at least14% of his voters. Trump and the gang, are not allies. I repeat, Trump and his administration are NOT our allies. Like the rest of his other supporters, #GaysForTrump supporters are louder and prouder than ever. YES, even after 271 days (and counting) of Trump's attempts to belittle the LGBT+ community. Seriously, there’s a whole cringing website dedicated to the fact that they exist.
Here is a (on-going) list of subtle and not-so subtle jabs this administration has taken on us:
January: LGBTQ content removed from White House and Department of State websites.
February: The Departments of Education and Justice essentially revoke the Obama administration's advice on giving equal access to facilities for transgender students.
March: The Department of State sent two anti-LGBTQ groups to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. One of which is designated a "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center for its extremist views.
March: The Trump administration removes questions relating to sexual orientation or gender identity in the The National Survey of Older Americans Act Participants (NSOAAP), which helps the federal government make decisions about where to send funding each year.
March: After an initial draft for the 2020 U.S Census, The Department of Commerce said that the inclusion of LGBTQ Americans was a mistake and there was no need for federal data to measure the amount of LGBTQ people.
March: The Trump Administration offered make cuts in HIV and AIDS research funding under the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under Trump's proposed budget.
The Trump Administration grants White House press credentials to a "reporter" from Infowars, a conspiracy outlet that regularly peddles dangerous, offensive, and anti-LGBTQ content.
The Trump Administration reveals their budget which includes proposed slashes to programs and departments critical to the LGBTQ community, including Medicaid, Planned Parenthood, and the Center for Disease Control’s HIV and AIDS programs.
The Justice Department filed a friend-of-the-court brief at the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit arguing that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans sex discrimination, doesn’t also ban discrimination based on sexual orientation. This rebukes the argument of another federal agency, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and could leave gay and bisexual workers unprotected by federal law — and most state laws — if an employer fires them due to their sexual orientation.
August: President Trump released a memo giving the Defense Department "permission" to move forward with developing a plan to (dishonorably) discharge transgender military service members and to maintain a ban on recruitment.
September: The Justice Department filed a legal brief on behalf of the United States in the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing for a constitutional right for businesses to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
October: The Justice Department released a "license to discriminate" by allowing federal agencies, government contractors, government grantees, and private businesses to engage in illegal discrimination, as long as they can cite religious reasons for doing so!!!!!!
...and recently, Trump "joked" about Pence wanting to hang gay people.
While this list is lengthy, it is incomplete. There are too many instances and its only been 271 days y'all! I wish everyone a better rest of the year, but its not going to get any easier soon. If you too feel like you've been personally attacked by Trump, let us know how!
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