Amid rumors that President Trump was readying an executive order to roll back some workplace protections gained by gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people under Obama, the White House has said no change will be made in that specific area.
In a statement issued by the White House, Trump’s record on gay rights was strongly played up.
Here they are laying it on thick:
“President Trump continues to be respectful and supportive of L.G.B.T.Q. rights, just as he was throughout the election,” the statement said. “The president is proud to have been the first ever G.O.P. nominee to mention the L.G.B.T.Q. community in his nomination acceptance speech, pledging then to protect the community from violence and oppression.”
The 2014 order banned companies that do business with the federal government from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, marking the first time in history the government explicitly protected workers from the latter.
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Related: It’s happening: Major LGBT march on Washington set for D.C. Pride weekend
The decision to leave the order intact, the statement said, was Trump’s.
Less clear is whether Trump will put forth any other executive actions that affect the LGBT community negatively. So-called “religious liberty” provisions could allow widespread discrimination, and for that reason alone, it’s vital the public holds the President’s feet to the fire.
While Trump has consistently opposed marriage equality, he has said his view is “irrelevant” as the law has been settled by the courts. However, he has stated that on issues like abortion, the law is less iron clad. One of his first actions as president was to ban any federal funding to international health organizations that perform or provide information on abortions.
Related: West Coast LGBT protest planned to coincide with National Pride March
With a Supreme Court nomination expected Tuesday, both issues have the potential to take center stage.
It’s tough to really chalk this up as a victory when, as HRC president Chad Griffin said, “LGBTQ refugees, immigrants, Muslims and women are scared today, and with good reason.”
Shannon1981
Trump picked Mike Pence as his VP. Do not be fooled. That is all we need to know when it comes to where he REALLY stands. This is just a delay, to keep people complacent since he’s gotten so much bad press re: the Muslim ban. #RESIST
jason_evans
Trump is protecting gay American citizens.
Shannon1981
I don’t believe it for a second. His picking of Mike Pence, KNOWING that guy’s homophobia and belief in things like conversion therapy, tells me all I need to know. He’ll distract us with another, bigger scandalous move, and THEN sign the anti-LGBTQ order. That’s the strategy – sow misinformation, roll the grenades, get us distracted, then do something really awful that is dwarfed in the shadow of whatever his tweet or scandal of the day is.
Redmage
He picked Mike Pence to appeal to the religious right, so they’d come out and support him. Candidates will always pick their VP based on what they are lacking, and need support in. What people need to understand about Trump, is the fact that is he nothing more, and always has been a New York liberal, who does not truly respect the constitution, or the free market.. Just like the last two chumps in the white house, so I don’t expect things to get great.. Especially after the major economic crisis coming next year.
jason_evans
Trump is the most pro-gay Republican President ever. The dunderheads in the Leftist gay community need to understand this.
Jack Meoff
If he is so pro-gay then why did he appoint so many vehemently anti-gay members to his staff? He can’t care about our rights that much if he is willing to give power to people who wish us harm.
Shannon1981
He told the Evangelicals he’d appoint a judge who would overturn gay marriage. That sound pro-gay to you?
Ronbo
Yes, he is the most pro-gay REPUBLICAN; but that is only faint praise. BTW, Shannon1981 is dead wrong on her comment below, I just searched her false assertion about SC nominations; tRump actually upset the Evangelicals when he called marriage equality “settled law” and said he would not select an anti-gay nominee. But… that can change just as President Obama flipped/flopped/flipped about first supporting equality, then reversed with “God is in the mix” then accepted the SC decision on our equality.
Never trust a politician; their only allegiance is money and power.
1EqualityUSA
jason_evans, Do you think we had just fallen off of the turnip truck? Troll! Wait until the Scalia-like originalist plants his young self on the Supreme Court for a life-long appointment. Trump will not have to lift a finger to harm us. Here’s a hint: Whenever Trump creates (social) chaos at home, watch Tillerson in the Middle East. Turn your orbs to Russia. After having been given the Friendship medal from Putin in 2014 and also access to deposits in the Antarctic, Putin is appreciative. Perhaps advice was given for which medals and deposits are warranted? Exxon has deposits in Russia for which pesky sanctions are holding at bay billions.
Shannon1981
@Ronbo, nope, I’m not wrong.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-marriage-equality_us_56af63c8e4b00b033aafb496
FnameLname
please go back and look at the numerous interviews he has done where he has clearly stated that he does not support gay marriage. Trump is the king of feeding his own ego. He thinks he is smart enough to make a statement like “I was the first GOP Presidential Nominee to support gay rights” … NO, he held up a rainbow flag at the convention and stated that he will protect the LGBTQ `community from at violence and oppression meaning ISIS! He was sending a message that Omar Mateen represented ISIS when he slaughtered 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. However, Omar swore loyalty to many organizations during his 911 phone call to the hostage negotiator, many of which are in conflict with one another. This clearly shows he was not part of any
FnameLname
organization/.
DCguy
Really, the most pro gay Republican President EVER?!? And who is his competition? George W. Bush that was going to put in a constitutional amendment against gay rights? Or Bush Sr. or Reagan who were President at a time where being gay got you fired from a govt. job?
I love you anti-gay Log Cabiners, you KEEP trying to hide facts and it is so easy to spot. Trump stated he would appoint judges that will remove gay rights.
AND you keep touting his biggest pro-gay accomplishment as leaving in a rule (So Far) that OBAMA implemented.
Log Cabin and other Gay republicans are Anti-lgbt self haters who simply see their duty as to protect bigots in the GOP from accusations of bigotry.
Karlis
Given that previous Republican president never had anything to say about LGBT issues, Trump deciding not to roll back Obama regulations may, on paper, make him “the most pro-gay Republican president ever”, but his nomination of the Hobby Lobby “we want the ‘Christian’ right to be bigots” guy to the Supreme Court, his selection of Mike Pence as vice president, his selection of the virulently homophobic Steve Bannon to be his top aide, etc., make your statement questionable at best and ludicrous at worst.
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
Our side needs to be careful with the rumours.. While we need to be vigilant, we need to stay laser focused, calm and rational. Let’s not be like them.
Kangol
I totally agree. I have been getting emails about the alleged forthcoming Trump anti-gay executive order. I keep telling people who are mentioning it to wait and see on that one. There’s more than enough mess with this administration to worry about. That awful Muslim ban does NOT address Saudi Arabia at all. Most of the 9/11 terrorists came from Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia still executes gay people. Saudi Arabia has been linked to funding some of the worst groups out there. Where’s the outrage from Trump supporters?
Neonegro
Saudi Arabia is not on the list because it is at the present working with the US on the fight against Isis.
The seven countries on the list are in a state of war with isis training camps and no central government that we can work with.
It’s not about where the terrorists of the past came from, but about keeping an eye on the current danger zones.
jason_evans
Trump supports our rights. Isn’t he a sex maniac, for Pete’s sake?
carlos_albuquerque
If by “supporting our rights” = passing transphobic laws and appointing homophobic VPs and heads of state, sure…
Chris
While I would never use the terms “pro gay” and “Republican” in he same paragraph, let alone sentence, Trump seems to put things into stand-alone silos. I think that is why he can appoint homophobes to positions; because, to him, those positions do not directly entail gay issues. Likewise, that is why he can say that he’s not messing with prior actions while issuing executive orders leave gay refugees hanging out there. He is clueless, maybe purposefully so.
I recognize that there is much to oppose him on. But for now, I am satisfied that there is one less thing on my front burner.
Aromaeus
Don’t be fooled. There is still one of those disgusting anti-lgbt bills ready to be filled in the senate that he’s already said he would sign which would go farther than any executive order he could sign.
Aromaeus
filed*
Mo Bro
Oh yeah?
Show us.
Prove to us you’re not just paranoid and show us this bill.
What’s that? You can’t? It’s just more manufactured outrage from the far left?
Color me shocked.
antgalva
yes please tell me what the bill is. I cant understand why people would put out a bunch of BS and not be able to back up the claim. yesterday i read a few articles stating President Trump would take away all LGBT rights and how frightening this was, and today “Oh well he will still do something at a later date and he is just trying to distract with the Muslim ban” How about you all STFU and wait and see what happens when something bad happens then speak up until then please do not assume.
eddie_murphy
Here is what you bitches we’re asking for. Proof of the bill. Fags like you puss me off because you don’t know the struggle us old fags went through so you could have your rights. Rights that are in jeopardy.
http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/first-amendment-defense-act-would-be-devastating-lgbtq-americans-n698416
Do yourself a favor and look up FADA yourself.
jason_evans
Trump won’t sign any anti-gay bills. He has said that he is here to protect gay rights. I believe him. It’s a pity that Left-wing gays don’t want to believe him.
Jack Meoff
You still haven’t addressed any of the points made in response to your previous post on this thread. His actions seem to contradict his words in that he has assembled a very anti-gay cabinet. How can we not be concerned.
Josh447
He’s not going to bash gays, it would be bad for his hotel/casino business, that’s the bottom line. Noone with that high level of public business is going to alienate LGBTs. Now if he gets impeached/knocked off and Pence takes over the presidency, the country is doomed to riots in the streets for a good long time. And if Trump does bash gays, he can kiss his public life goodbye and say hello to another bankruptcy.
Mo Bro
I understand that liberals prefer feelings over facts, but here’s Trump’s ANTI-discrimination declaration regarding us.
https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/01/31/trump-vows-to-continue-lgbt-workplace-rights-protection/21703893/
carlos_albuquerque
>”Feelings over facts”
>is blatantly pissed off
>choses a hilariously biased double-speak
Almost like conservatives are hypocrites…
ErikO
The overwhelming majority of conservatives could care less if someone is gay or LGBT. He did the right thing. But contrary to what the media claims Obama was NOT for LGBT rights as he argued for DOMA, and he is not responsible for same sex marriage becoming legal or ending DADT even if the media and Obamabots will claim he is.
carlos_albuquerque
Except nearly everyone in his cabinet is anti-gay
Kangol
What are you talking about? We had the most extensive push and successes for LGBTIQ rights under Barack Obama, more than under any other president in the history of the United States. Are you out of your mind? Whatever Obama may have done or said along the way, under his tenure as President, LGBTIQ rights advanced substantially! You can marry your boyfriend in any state in the US, including the most horribly homophobic ones, because of Barack Obama! There’s provisions for HIV/AIDS and LGBTIQ health in most health insurance plans because of Barack Obama! You can serve in the military as an openly gay or trans person because of Barack Obama. NOT A SINGLE OTHER PRESIDENT COMES CLOSE! WAKE UP!
Heywood Jablowme
Oh look, it’s that phony ErikO who pretended during the campaign he was voting for Jill Stein, yeah right, and now – surprise, surprise – here he is defending the antigay Republicans in Congress and STILL bashing Obama.
Obama certainly did sign, & somewhat orchestrate, the repeal of DADT passed by Congress. And he appointed two of the yes votes on the Supreme Court when it decided the same sex marriage case.
Even if it were true that “The overwhelming majority of conservatives could care less if someone is gay or LGBT” (it’s not), they still overwhelmingly elect religious right-wing lunatics to Congress who are overwhelmingly obsessed with gay gay gay! They’ll pass the FADA bill (see above) sooner or later.
captainburrito
The Obama administration defended DOMA at first but stopped defending in 2011.
Opine2
This whole ‘he picked MP he’s homophobic’, like every single one of Obama’s crew was a loved up ‘hug a homo’ supporter. get real! There are homo haters everywhere, the Democrat’s haven’t suddenly found a cure, and neither have the many and varied ethnic communities or the whites.
I believe the real threat here is the so called ‘liberal left’ becoming the ‘illiberal left’ watching the news its the Democrat’s taking over the streets and putting decent people in fear of their safety.
What next? Its OK to queer bash them they voted Trump. Some ‘Tolerant’ folks on here want to take a good hard look in the mirror and check out what is staring back?
NathanR
It’s well and good that he says all of this, but it’s not like he hasn’t contradicted himself time and again since he campaigned. He’s been known to be almost a chronic liar and makes up his own facts. Trump, I’m sure, has his own reasons for trying to gain LGBT approval, and I’m sure it isn’t because he cares.
With that said… we’ll see if he actually means it. It’s not like it’s impossible for him to say one thing and do another. He’s already famous for that. Every pro-Trumper in the comment section needs to be just as aware of his cabinet picks as anyone on the “far-left” is. His administration already removed all information regarding gay rights and protection from the White House website, which to me was a passive-aggressive statement against us.
Show us we’re wrong, Trump. Otherwise, I’m not trusting you until you do. It’s better to be guarded than it is to be misguided.
Holloway
He’s a New York socialite. A commentator once said that because of this, he *has* to be relatively comfortable (or at least familiar and therefore more likely to be understanding) with LGBT folks.
Back in the day he was vaguely for Civil Unions. It’s the fact that he so casually said, “yeah ok why not” that made me feel at ease voting for him. This is a man who doesn’t really have an opinion on us one way or the other, but is tolerant enough to overcome his own personal convictions and say outright, “the supreme court made a decision, whether I like it or not”. He even has a homophobe VP he intends to closely work with, yet he still said gay marriage has already been decided. He’s at ease with us I think, and that’s a good thing.
Him holding up that flag… you know he was trying to extend an olive branch? Why can’t we accept it with kindness? If we just keep hating on him and giving him flak then he’ll see no reason to think of us, much less work with us. We need to take that olive branch, shake his hand, and offer to work with him!
eddie_murphy
This is all fine and good, until he signs FADA. I don’t see anyone worrying about that Act. It will do more harm than this would have.
http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/first-amendment-defense-act-would-be-devastating-lgbtq-americans-n698416
KaiserVonScheiss
Yeah, Trump sounds totes evil.
Paco
He must veto FADA when it comes to his desk.
Heywood Jablowme
Would he really veto that? Hard to imagine! I guess it’s remotely possible but I doubt it.
Paco
@Heywood Jablowme, Not going to hold my breath for a veto, but his base has proven that they will blindly follow him no matter what he does. It’s the evangelicals he needs to worry about. Just speculation, but it’s possible he could satisfy them with making abortion illegal. That would be a move that would further split us on the left I think. Support for LGBTQ rights in exchange for throwing abortion rights under the bus. I can totally see that happening.
His decision to not rescind Obama’s LGBTQ work place protections, is probably just a distraction because of the backlash he is receiving from the “Muslim ban”. Nothing more.
Holloway
He won’t veto anything if all he gets in return from our community is a constant stream of distrust, hatred, and condemnation. I get the feeling he could divorce Melania, marry a man, and he’d still be condemned for blind partisan reasons.
Dubyel
In addition to this reaffirmation of LGBT rights, Trump’s Executive Order on Immigration also states that “the United States should not admit those who engage in acts of bigotry or hatred … or those who would oppress Americans of any race, gender, OR SEXUAL ORIENTATION.” To me, that is a significant step that we should acknowledge and embrace. However, I guess it doesn’t fit the narrative, so it is ignored.
CNN and The Guardian reported last year that over half of Muslims in the UK thought homosexuality should be illegal and 23% supported enacting some form of Sharia law. If that is the attitude of Muslims in the liberal UK. Imagine the attitudes of those in the Middle East. I want to know who is being allowed into this country and make sure they don’t want to kill me or take away my rights. Why is it that the professional activist class would rather embrace as victims without question people who might want to enact Sharia law and throw us off rooftops instead of thanking Trump for extending the immigration prohibition explicitly to preclude the admission of those people.
As for those cases of persons facing true persecution should they be sent back, it appears that the Order also includes provisions for admission in special cases. Overall, it’s amazing how different the Order actually reads from how it is portrayed in the press.
Billysees
” “the United States should not admit those who engage in acts of bigotry or hatred … or those who would oppress Americans of any race, gender, OR SEXUAL ORIENTATION.” To me, that is a significant step that we should acknowledge and embrace. ”
That’s a very good fact for all to know. Thanks for bringing it to everyone’s attention.
” I want to know who is being allowed into this country and make sure they don’t want to kill me or take away my rights. ”
Say that again because it’s important.
Your whole comment is good reading.
1EqualityUSA
Coercion stands reversal when a just nine sees our constant harassment as animus. All of the political capital, emotional rollercoaster-religiosity-circus and money spent on getting religious beliefs onto civic law books has us burdened by the theology of others. Burdened by those who haven’t the talent to win hearts in an appropriate house, so the ardent, zealous ones sit on Congress. If we are to be burdened by the beliefs of others, which ones? The deceived ones, who speak of rapture before the last trump, the ones who wish upon a star, or ones who worship idols? A colossal waste of time and resources. No hearts won. Politics and religion, a beast. Oppression is uninspired. Only those radical enough to love may edify. Love needs no political persuasion, no act of Congress. The government, tangling with religion, is a dangerous precedence. Taint will ask, “Who is next?”
Billysees
” Only those radical enough to love may edify. Love needs no political persuasion… ”
Yes…
Neonegro
So he should have packed his campaign and administration with gays and advocates for gays……….because the gays were going to abandon their saint Hillary and vote for Trump????????
He needed americans from different groups and with diverging views in order to get elected.
Just as Clinton had her coalition.
Holloway
I voted for Trump. I voted for Trump…
Sure. Hillary paid lip service to all the old ideals. But it wasn’t nearly enough. I saw her as a dangerous flip-flop who loudly and proudly proclaimed her conservatism in the 90s, voted to ban gay marriage in the 00s, and pushed war in the 10s.
Trump was a wild card, but his being a New York socialite mean’t, as one commentator said, he *had* to be at least somewhat comfortable with queer types. Moreover, while he was never onboard for gay marriage, he at least shrugged and said he’d be cool with civil unions back when Hillary still hadn’t “evolved yet”.
Oh, and that private speech he gave in the early 90s about legalizing ALL the drugs as a radical way of reducing violence and suffering. I respected that. Much respect.
Sure, he picked anti-gay Pence. But I saw a wildcard in him, and a guy who seemed to have a liberal tendency over the decades to not be so big on going to war and killing people, a New Yorker with a live and let live attitude, a guy who would keep the homophobes in the Republican party in check just as he dealt with the Evangelicals and refused to bow to them.
He won’t give us outright favoritism like Hillary promised, but he’s tolerant and has been so for decades. That isn’t changing.
Billysees
Pretty good comment. Hope all your positives turn out to be true.
eightinchnail
Neonegro, Saudi Arabia isn’t on the list because of oil. Full stop.