Let’s be clear. The LGBTQ+ delegation, which meets religiously at Wanda Sykes’ residence Thursdays, never appointed any spokespersons. (Here’s a challenge: Try to find the sarcasm.) A headline for an Aug. 15 opinion piece gave the false impression we had.
“Trump met his commitments to LGBTQIA+ Americans. He has our endorsement.”
Really? Clearly, Log Cabin Chairman Robert Kabel and Vice Chairwoman Jill Homan didn’t seek input from a more diverse group of LGBTQ+ Americans before drafting this bewildering and ridiculous treatise.
Washington was once enthralled with the definition of is. Let’s explore the meaning of our within this headline’s context. Our refers solely to Log Cabin Republicans. Well, of course, it could also include people who don’t identify as Log Cabin Republicans but just revel in their tax cuts.
Even so, there’s a contingent that knows Trump has made no trustworthy pledge to better the lives of LGBTQ+ Americans. Kabel and Homan claim Trump deserves credit for Republicans’ alleged evolution.
“This is the party that Trump has helped make possible by moving past the culture wars that dominated the 1990s and early 2000s, in particular by removing gay rights as a wedge issue from the old Republican playbook.”
Let’s pretend that’s not an alternative fact. If the venom spewed about gay rights seems less potent, it’s because transgender people are the fresh target. Kabel and Homan must face the truth: Gay rights remain a wedge issue.
The Equality Act made it through the House, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to let it come up for a vote. If that bill makes it to the White House, there’s no guarantee Trump will sign it. Despite Log Cabin’s support, his base hasn’t exactly shown the LGBTQ+ community much love. If gay rights are no longer a wedge issue, why is Every Child Deserves A Family Act necessary?
Trump’s pledge to eradicate HIV/AIDS in 10 years also inspired Kabel and Homan’s impassioned endorsement.
“He has committed to end the spread of HIV/AIDS in 10 years, through the use of proven science, medicine, and technology to which we now have access. This scourge decimated a generation of gay men in the United States and continues to inflict pain, suffering, and death at home and abroad.”
Let me acknowledge that the pledge is admirable. However, using the phrase “through the use of proven science, medicine, and technology” in close proximity of Trump’s name is laughable. He doesn’t trust science or scientists. That commitment is more than suspect. His administration’s various attacks on the environment only underscore his ill will toward science.
It behooves me to extend Kabel and Homan an invitation to reconsider this endorsement. The U.S. State Department has convened the Commission on Unalienable Rights, which includes former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican Mary Ann Glennon. Establishing that LGBTQ+ people deserve no human rights is its mission.
This commission is only manifestation of the Trump administration’s hatred for LGBTQ+ people. It’s found plenty of ways to come for the queer community. Here are few more:
· Making it easier for employers to discriminate against LGBTQ+ workers.
· Discharging and banning transgender people from serving in the U.S. military.
· Allowing federal contractors to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people.
Preisdent Trump and his administration are no friends of the LGBTQIA+ people. Talk is cheap. Executive orders and rules are expensive. They’ve cost us dignity and livelihoods.
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