Trump’s gay press aide says it’s wrong to link President to rise in anti-LGBTQ hate

A White House press aide has dismissed the notion that President Donald Trump can be any way linked to a rise in anti-LGBTQ hate groups in the US.

White House spokesman Judd Deere, who is himself gay, was responding to a document produced by the respected Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).

The SPLC recently published its annual report on hate groups in the US. It found that the number of what it identifies as hate groups fell from a record of 1,020 in 2018 to 940 in 2019. However, within these figures, there was a 43% increase in anti-LGBTQ hate groups.

It stated, “The Trump administration has demonstrated a clear willingness to embrace [hate group] leaders and their policy agenda.”

It notes, “Anti-LGBTQ groups have become intertwined with the Trump administration, and—after years of civil rights progress and growing acceptance among the broader American public—anti-LGBTQ sentiment within the Republican Party is rising.

“Groups that vilify the LGBTQ community, in fact, represented the fastest-growing sector among hate groups in 2019—expanding from 49 in 2018 to 70 in 2019, a nearly 43% increase.”

Related: Trump makes Richard Grenell first openly gay cabinet member in history

Trump administration appointments include making Tony Perkins, leader of the Family Research Council, (FRC) the Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. The FRC has previously been identified as a hate group by the SPLC.

Deere was asked about the report by NBC. In a statement, he called SPLC a “far-left smear” organization and called its comments “disgusting.”

“While the radical left has pushed false accusations that LGBTQ Americans are threatened, the president has hired and promoted LGBTQ Americans to the highest levels of government, including positions at the White House, Cabinet agencies and ambassadorships,” said Deere.

“He launched a global campaign to decriminalize homosexuality … And the president has made the bold declaration that we are committed to ending HIV transmissions in the United States within 10 years,” he added.

Deere was appointed to the position of Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Press Secretary in January 2019. Last summer, Deere gave an interview to Buzzfeed in which he talked of his role at the White House.

Related: Trump’s gay press secretary on promoting anti-LGBTQ policies: “It just doesn’t matter to me”

“I’ve clearly been hired, and promoted since I’ve got here, and I’m completely open about who I am … These individuals that I work with in this building don’t treat me any differently because I’m gay.”

He has consistently defended the President’s record on LGBTQ rights, such as voicing support for bakers who don’t want to make cakes for same-sex weddings (“I’ll just go find another cake shop that will,” said Deere), and Trump’s ban on trans people in the military. Deere says the ban is necessary as having trans people openly serve can “erode military readiness.”

Deere said in the interview, “The president opposes discrimination and hates violence, all of that, in any form.”

Others disagree. Advocacy group GLAAD is keeping a running count of attacks the Trump administration has made on LGBTQ people. It currently stands at 136 anti-LGBTQ statements or measures during Trump’s 1,168 days in office so far.

www.queerty.com/trumps-gay-press-aide-says-wrong-link-president-rise-anti-lgbtq-hate-20200402?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Train Engineer Tried to Ram Navy Hospital Ship Because He Thought It Was Part of Government Takeover: VIDEO

A train engineer was arrested Tuesday after he tried to crash his locomotive into the USNS Mercy, the Navy hospital ship treating non-coronavirus patients at the Port of Los Angeles.

Eduardo Moreno, 44, was taken into custody by a California Highway Patrol officer after he tried to flee the scene of the intentionally derailed train.

ABC News reports: The locomotive crashed through a series of barriers and fences before coming to rest about 250 yards from the U.S. Navy Hospital Ship Mercy on Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a release. … Moreno allegedly told officers and FBI investigators that he deliberately derailed the train because he was suspicious of the Mercy’s intentions and thought it was actually part of a government takeover, the complaint said. “Moreno stated that he acted alone and had not pre-planned the attempted attack,” according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California. “While admitting to intentionally derailing and crashing the train, he said he knew it would bring media attention and ‘people could see for themselves,’ referring to the Mercy.” In an interview with FBI agents, Moreno stated that “he did it out of the desire to ‘wake people up,’” according to the complaint.

reports:

The post Train Engineer Tried to Ram Navy Hospital Ship Because He Thought It Was Part of Government Takeover: VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

Train Engineer Tried to Ram Navy Hospital Ship Because He Thought It Was Part of Government Takeover: VIDEO

HRC Urges U.S. Food and Drug Administration to Make Swift Changes to Its So-Called Blood Ban

Today, HRC urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to make swift changes to its antiquated policy regarding blood donations from men who have sex with men (MSM). As the world reels from the effects of COVID-19, the United States is in dire need of increased levels of blood donations. At the same time, the federal government continues to disallow a broad swath of the general population from donating blood without strict abstinence guidelines. Additionally, due to the virus, more than 4,000 blood drives have been canceled since mid-March.

Find the full letter here.

“At no time in our nation’s history has it been more critical to prioritize science and facts over fear and bias,” said Alphonso David, president of HRC. “Our response will define us for generations. As the global pandemic wears on, the integrity and safety of the blood supply in this country must be preserved, strengthened, and maintained. Continuing to enforce the de facto prohibition on blood donation by sexually active gay and bisexual men does not reflect the best science available. We must right this wrong now and without delay.”

The HRC has repeatedly asked for changes to the federal policy on blood donations, since the FDA adopted its initial, discriminatory policy in 1983. Ten years ago in 2010, HRC renewed its call to change the policy to be more fully inclusive of LGBTQ Americans. In 2015, following a new change to the policy that required MSM to be abstinent for a year, HRC again affirmed that this approach was unacceptable. Now, HRC is reiterating the urgent need to make swift changes to the existing policy.

Another excerpt of the letter reads, “The current one-year deferral for MSMs represents a de facto lifetime ban for gay and bisexual men and excludes over 2 million potential donors and an estimated nearly 300,000 pints of blood annually. While deferral is necessary for some donors, the current 12 month deferral period is not in line with evidence-based science. To ensure the blood supply is the safest it can possibly be, risk should be evaluated based on the individual risk behaviors of every donor, rather than on community-wide prevalence.”

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-urges-u.s.-food-and-drug-administration-to-make-swift-changes-to-its-so?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

GLAAD partners with the LGBTQ Victory Institute for National Out to Win Day

www.glaad.org/blog/glaad-partners-lgbtq-victory-institute-national-out-win-day