Tonight will be the third and final presidential debate. All eyes will be on Donald Trump, yet again, to see if he has any impulse control left. We’re so inured to Trump’s outrageousness that if he is even marginally lucid, he’s likely to come across far better than he should.
As for Hillary Clinton–really, does she even have to show up, other than to bait Trump?
As a reminder, sometimes debates actually touch on (gasp!) policy. And what has been particularly noticeable in this election cycle is how little reference there has been to anything LGBT. Other than a brief reference from Clinton in support of marriage equality during the second debate, the candidates have been largely silent about us.
Related: 7 Gays & Lesbians Working To Put Hillary Back Where She Belongs: In The White House
Which raises the question: are we no longer a political issue? With marriage equality settled in law and public opinion solidly in our favor, the candidates seem to be betting that nothing else rises to the level worth calling out in a debate.
That probably drives core Republicans, including Trump’s running mate Mike Pence, crazy. Much as the GOP leadership promises to repeal Obamacare, the hardliners would love nothing more than to claw back some lost ground through religious liberty laws.
Related: Mike Pence’s Seven Most Vicious Homophobic Moments (There A Lot To Choose From)
The problem is that Trump couldn’t care less. In general, he doesn’t dwell on policy in any case because he doesn’t understand it. But Trump also doesn’t seem to bear us the animosity that he does immigrants, women or–well, it’s a long list. If anything, he’s broken from the Republican line just by promising to protect the LGBTQ community (in his own weird phrasing). What he doesn’t realize is that we are also a strong part of immigrant groups, women, Muslims, and African-Americans. So when he attacks these groups, he is also attacking all of us–with the possible exception of white gay men.
Without one candidate attacking us and one defending us, there’s not a lot of reason to expect the media to focus on us at all. We’ll see if that changes tonight. But it could be that we’ve moved from being a political issue to just another voting bloc.
tom_canham
Pence’s stance on LGBT is very worrying. It’d be nice to see it laid bare and have Trump say exactly how much he agrees with the GOP. Might make a few #gays4Trump change their minds.
Baba Booey Fafa Fooey
“there’s not a lot of reason to expect the media to focus on us at all.”
Like they tried to do with Orlando by attempting to omit us from our own massacre and make it about Muslims.
Baba Booey Fafa Fooey
What a strange article.
Baba Booey Fafa Fooey
Also I’d like to point out that “Islamaphobia” (grating word) was a topic at the last debate and not homophobia amongst Muslims (would you even call how Muslims feel about gays “homophobia”?). Not one politician remarked that it was a Muslim who killed gays en masse in Orlando on American soil. And, the bombing of Chelsea, a gay district in NYC. Gay issues are stronger than ever. We no longer have AIDS wiping us out – we have Muslims, and the government is ignoring us again.
Kieran
Can someone explain how the Democrats plan to create a huge Voting bloc of Muslims in the US supposedly good for the gays? Like we don’t have enough homophobes in America as it is, we have to import them from countries where they cut your head off for being gay.
MarionPaige
the “numbers” for how many same sex marriages there are (or aren’t) is the proof that gay activists are out of touch with reality.
Tobi
@Kieran: I don’t envy my cousins across the pond having to make a choice, but if I was voting, I’d no doubt hold my nose and vote Hillary this time around.
That said, do consider what is happening in Europe. In London, where over half the population are now migrants, we have the problem that most of them have no intention of assimilating. We’ve also lost some important historical districts such as the East End to uncontrolled migration, which is one of the main reasons that despite the threats from Obama and almost everyone else, the majority of the population who voted decided in favour of brexit, meaning we will quit the EU in the next few years.
You also need to consider that uncontrolled or mass migration brings its own problems, one of which is that it invariably leads to the rise of the far right, as we’re seeing now with Austria and Hungary leading the pack, followed by Pegida and AfD in Germany and Front National in France.
Brian
The Democrats don’t like talking about gay rights on the national stage of a debate. Most Democrats are homophobic.
Kangol
Hillary Clinton began her debate remarks tonight by saying she’d defend LGBTQ rights. Trump never once uttered “gay,” “homosexual,” “LGBTQ,” anything. His running mate is a rabid Christian evangelical homophobe who supports the radically anti-gay Republican platform. Does Trump? If not, why is he so silent? Is there anything clearer than that?
ClarkKent
@Tobi: The “far right problem” you are talking about is probably you guys’ last hope. France, Germany and Sweden in particular are in serious trouble.
@Kangol, Look up his speech at the Republican convention in Cleveland, a place where he had no reason to pander to gays, to say the least.
Tobi
@ClarkKent: It’s not much of hope, seeing as they want us dead too.
Bob LaBlah
@ClarkKent: Speaking of that convention is this or is this not a nazi by an ultra right-wing radio talk show babbler named Laura Ingraham?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACclN3UDrdo
Stilinski26
People really think she supports LGBT? lmao gays are nothing but political pawns for her not only her but most politicians