NEW YORK – GLAAD, the world largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, released the following statement in response to President Trump’s speech at the 2017 Values Voter Summit. This morning, GLAAD released research on anti-LGBTQ statements and actions of 50 Values Voter Summit speakers, exposing the anti-LGBTQ advocacy at the core of this fringe event.

“This morning, addressing a gathering of some of the most extreme anti-LGBTQ activists in the country, Trump once again legitimized hate speech and vowed, again and again to write discrimination into law by pushing laws focused on religious exemptions,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD. “The religious exemption laws that groups like the Family Research Council and the Trump administration fully support do not reflect real American values, they legalize discrimination by allowing hotels, ER doctors, business owners, and even pediatricians to legally deny services to hardworking LGBTQ families.”

The push for ‘religious exceptions’ is in direct contrast the majority of Americans who opposed these anti-LGBTQ laws, according to a recent study by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). PRRI also found that 72% of Americans support laws that protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. This includes six out of ten (60%) Republicans and 81% of Democrats.

GLAAD issued calls this morning across all platforms to recognize the Values Voters Summit for what it is – a convening of fringe groups united around discrimination against LGBTQ Americans. See some of our tweets below and read more about the other anti-LGBTQ speakers at the Values Voter Summit via GLAAD.

Again. They’re not just “conservative.”

They are the most extreme anti-LGBTQ activists in the country pic.twitter.com/bXOpjbuLZh

— GLAAD (@glaad) October 13, 2017

Don’t believe us when we say #VVS17 is full of the most extreme anti-LGBTQ activists?

The swag bag includes a book that makes claims about the “health hazards of homosexuality” t.co/QYloHEoDdW

— GLAAD (@glaad) October 13, 2017