Fresh of her win at the Women’s World Cup and the newfound megastardom that followed, out-lesbian soccer player Megan Rapinoe has slammed Donald Trump for his administration’s treatment of queer people.
Rapinoe appeared on Anderson Cooper 360 to discuss her big win at the World Cup, and to address the already brewing controversy over her taking a knee during the National Anthem. She had previously said she would kneel as a sign of solidarity with football player Colin Kaepernick, who knelt to protest the treatment of people of color by police.
Related: Trump fans adopted soccer star Kelley O’Hara as their hero. Then they watched this kiss.
Cooper offered Rapinoe a moment to address Trump directly. “Your message is excluding people,” she said. “You’re excluding me, you’re excluding people that look like me. You’re excluding people of color. You’re excluding Americans that maybe support you. I think that we need to have a reckoning with the message that you have and what you’re saying about Make America Great Again. I think that you’re harkening back to an era that was not great for everyone. It might have been great for a few people and maybe America’s great for a few people right now but it’s not great for enough Americans in this world, and … you have an incredible responsibility as the chief of this country to take care of every single person and you need to do better for everyone.”
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
She also defended her choice to protest during the National Anthem. “I think that taking care of others, standing up for yourself and other people if they don’t have the ability to do so, is very uniquely American. I think everyone in America would say that and I think we have a rich history and a pride in saying that in those words and often times in doing that in the world. I don’t think anybody can deny the horrors of racism and Jim Crow and mass incarceration and what’s happening on the southern border and gay rights and women’s rights. A lot of the people that disagree with me would benefit greatly from a world that is better for everyone…Protest is not comfortable, ever.”
dwes09
They nonetheless won against all the other teams competing. So a scrimmage game is obviously irrelevant.
As for Trump: so he hired one gay man. How exactly does that balance out the banning of trans armed service people based on outright lies, the clear attempts to re-marginalize most LGBT people (not the already rich and powerful few individuals) through the appointment of judges eager to roll back rights?
How does that balance out the clear desire to strip women of reproductive choice through the courts and the states? Pretty much all of Ms Rapinoe’s criticisms of Trump’s actions are spot on. All you do is deflect with one weak example.
Matt1961
First off, the friendly played 2 years ago against the FC Dallas under 15 boys team was meant to practice teamwork, not obliterate the opposition. It wasn’t seen by anyone with any reasonable knowledge of the game and how teams are built with any negative connotation, certainly nothing like you’re impugning here.
Secondly, as we’ve seen, our current president has tokens of every stripe to help quell the call of bigotry and discrimination. Make no mistake, trump is admittedly anti LGBTQ now and will never be an ally or a decent human being for that matter. Whataboutisms won’t help out his public image here.
jsmu
@Kieran: Where to begin eviscerating you–so many imbecilities in one short trollpost! A) that game against MALES was a SCRIMMAGE in practice, you cretin B) So now women’s victories don’t count because they’re not against MALES? Your toxic misogyny is outstripped only by your no doubt WHITE male privilege, b*tch. C) One vile, self-loathing Log CabinetteKUNT as an ambassador, who has befriended so many N*zis that Germany wants to expel him? Really? That’s all you got, impotent little TROLLETTE?????????
david_warner
Jesus F-ing Christ but you’re one deluded douchebag!!
Kieran
Temper ladies, temper.
Gadfeal
What an effective public speaker she is, without a flub or hesitation, in direct simple words and ad hoc! Anderson seemed to fumble like an amateur or someone unprepared for the subject and interviewee, or maybe he’s not as good an interviewer as he is a news reader or even journalist.
pianomeister
You hit the nail on the head there. Cooper is NOT a good ‘off the cuff’ interviewer and his discomfort is pretty plain to see. He’s certainly got a brain and can research and read his stories well – BUT – he is not an ‘easy’ talker. That’s part of the reason his ill-fated talk show flopped. He got better in the second season, but he never, ever seemed to just be relaxed and able to chat and assist a guest with getting their point across clearly. That might’ve been part of his fumbling in this interview since she was very concise and direct and he didn’t know where to take it….. I also wish they’d quit having him do the Dem debates. He’s terrible at them and asks inane questions (most of the time) and doesn’t know how to re-direct and keep the debates on course.
RevJames
Yes Kieran the “Temper ladies, temper” comment is indeed exceedingly misogynistic on many levels
which I will not attempt to explain to someone with your caliber of intelligence.
Kieran
@RevJames Queen, please.
theafricanwiththemouth
Idiot.
SportGuy
Love this woman. The trumptards heads are exploding and it’s awesome.
SnakeyJ
I don’t understand why anyone would think Trump supporters give this woman any thought at all? Doubtful Trump supporters even watch women’s soccer. Does anyone?
Cam
You mean except for the fact that FOX News has been screaming and crying about her for a few days? Other than that right?
truthseeker
Cam (who also used to go by the username DCguy and many others) just confirmed he’s an avid FOX News viewer if he knows what is discussed on their daily programming
I support Trump and even I don’t watch FOX News. Cam must be their #1 viewer
SnakeyJ
@truthseeker: Thanks for the head’s up. Cam accused me of being Kieran under a different username after i replied to one of Kieran’s posts (above). It seems like he just makes stuff up.
SPEEDOSWIMMER
After reading your nonsensical deluded verbage (which reflected your lack of critical thinking skills), I had to respond.
Kieran, your are condescending and patronizing. While you grasp at false narratives to make your case, you are still incorrect in all your assumptions, and name-calling.
Of course you are entitled to your opinions – regardless of however incorrect they may be.
The sad reality is that you do not possess the mental capacity, skills nor wisdom to understand and learn from your errors.
Cue the sarcastic retort (and name-calling)…. three… two… one…
Cam
And once again, any time an LGBT person does something and gets praise we have the same accounts coming in and attacking them and trying to diminish them.
Cam
@SnakeyJ
Sweetie, if you’re going to switch screenames to defend yourself try not to make it so obvious.
Kennyg15
If we are going to act out because we are different, we might as well not have any allegiance to a country you live in. Kneeling down at a national anthem, to protest your right as an individual living in this country, this is bull shit! next you will have transgender doing cartwheels and Algerians jumping up and down, Native American doing a pow wow dance. There has always been a standard pledge of allegiance for our country. Protest some other way if you feel disgraced upon, betrayed in any way. You shouldn’t resolve this by attacking the country, tradition and standards. This is a problem through acceptance, compromise.
[email protected]
wow incredibly racist. if our country is failing us in some way…how do u protest? id take the knee. and if my dad were alive..veteran two tours in korea..he would too. he told me that in one of our discussions. and also..the “acting out” is not because of diversity..it is because many groups are TREATED different. yea america is gonna topple cuz 3 people took a knee