Less than a month into the new presidency, it's still too soon to definitively say where Donald Trump stands on LGBT rights. While there have been two promising bits of inaction -- both of which could change on a dime -- Jeff Sessions's opening salvo against transgender children indicates that we have every reason to brace for the worst.
Here's what I know so far:
PRO (by leaving in place):
In Surprise Move, Obama's LGBT State Department Envoy to Continue in Role
White House: Obama’s Executive Order Protecting LGBT Workers to ‘Remain Intact’ – But…
CON:
'Callous Attack': Trump DOJ Drops Protections for Transgender Students
GOP to Reintroduce 'First Amendment Defense Act,' Which Trump Has Promised to Sign
Leaked Draft of ‘Religious Freedom’ Executive Order Reveals Chilling Plan to Legalize Anti-LGBT Discrimination
Trump Reportedly Plans to Abandon the White House Office of National AIDS Policy
Neil Gorsuch's Disturbing Record on LGBTG Rights (While Trump claims to believe same-sex marriage is "settled," he also thinks Roe v. Wade can be changed. And who better to also undo marriage equality than this horrendous SCOTUS pick?)Not sure how Trump's scorecard is "better" for LGBT Americans than Hillary Clinton would have been, as some gay Trump supporters insisted he would be. But rest assured activists will be on top of his every move for however long he remains in office.
3 comments:
Given the wholesale destruction of the planet, plus the incursion of Russian operatives and the dismantling of the entire federal government, LGBT rights seem almost like a luxury at this point.
I wouldn't place much weight on the much-ballyhooed absence of an anti-LGBT executive order, when the so-caled First Amendment Defense Act has the capacity to swallow whole almost all of our hard-won protections, if upheld by the courts. And religious accommodations are interests very close to the heart of Justice-nominee Gorsuch. And, unlike an executive order, a statute would apply to not only to the employment practices of government contractors but to employment, housing, and public accommodations everywhere in the U.S..
the orange baboon has lied, on average, more than 75% of the time since he announced his campaign.
i don't waste time trying to figure out what he is or isn't going to do, i'll wait for the scotus decision. and i won't start worrying until he appoints a second conservative justice...
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