President prioritizes “Great Outdoors Month,” “National Ocean Month,” and “National Homeownership Month” ahead of LGBTQ Americans

Ivanka Trump blasted by LGBTQ community for tweets acknowledging LGBTQ Pride Month

NEW YORK – GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, spoke out against President Trump today for his failure to issue a presidential proclamation honoring June as LGBTQ Pride Month. Instead, the Trump Administration prioritized issuing proclamations on June 1 around “Great Outdoors Month,” “National Ocean Month,” and “National Homeownership Month.” This silence halts an eight-year precedent set by President Barack Obama in honoring the achievements of LGBTQ Americans and showing support for the community via proclamations and other Pride Month events.

Ivanka Trump sent two tweets on the evening of June 1 wishing “everyone a joyful Pride” and saying she was “proud to support my LGBTQ friends and the LGBTQ Americans who have made immense contributions to our society and economy.” These tweets which were met with an outcry from LGBTQ writers, influencers, and leaders including GLAAD and Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD President and CEO.

“Every June, leaders from all walks of life recognize Pride month and stand together in support of LGBTQ people, however President Trump chose to start this Pride month with deafening silence,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD. “Even if Ivanka Trump tries to save face with LGBTQ Americans, President Trump’s negligence at the start of Pride month provided another example that this administration is no friend to the community. While the Trump Administration tries to systematically erase LGBTQ people and families from the fabric of this nation, LGBTQ Americans and allies must do what we know best this Pride month – stay visible and march for acceptance.”

Tweet by Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD

Since Day One of his presidency, Donald Trump has approved policy that systematically erases LGBTQ Americans from the fabric of this nation. From removing any mention of “LGBTQ” on government websites to rescinding guidance that protection the rights of transgender students at their schools, the Trump Administration has made a point to halt full acceptance for LGBTQ Americans.

This is in stark contrast to President Barack Obama and the previous administration. Aside from issuing a president proclamation for LGBTQ Pride Month each year in office, the Obama Administration advocated for and ushered in a new era of LGBTQ acceptance in this nation, including the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the passage of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act, and the a nationwide victory for marriage equality.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: President Obama vs. President Trump on LGBTQ Acceptance

President Obama’s LGBTQ Pride Month Proclamations

2016 – Presidential Proclamation — LGBT Pride Month, 2016
2015 – Presidential Proclamation– LGBT Pride Month, 2015
2014 – Presidential Proclamation — Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, 2014
2013 – Presidential Proclamation — Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, 2013
2012 – Presidential Proclamation: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, 2012
2011 – Presidential Proclamation–Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month
2010 – Presidential Proclamation–Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month
2009 – Presidential Proclamation – LGBT Pride Month

President Trump’s LGBTQ Record

— 5.23.17 – The Trump Administration reveals their budget which includes proposed slashes to programs and departments critical to the LGBTQ community, including Medicaid, Planned Parenthood, and the Center for Disease Control’s HIV and AIDS programs.

— 5.22.17 – The Trump Administration grants White House press credentials to a “reporter” from Infowars, a conspiracy outlet that regularly peddles dangerous, offensive and anti-LGBTQ content. 

— 5.8.17 – Department of Agriculture issues new so-called “religious freedom” policy statement, a move praised by the anti-LGBTQ Family Research Council. 

— 5.4.17 – President Trump signs a “religious liberty” executive order. Although this EO does not target LGBTQ Americans, it is the first step in what could be a more broader permission slip for discrimination against the overall LGBTQ community. 

— 4.14.17 – The Trump Administration files to dismiss a lawsuit accusing North Carolina of discriminating against the LGBTQ community in response to HB2, despite the similarities of the HB142 replacement.

— 4.10.17: A ProPublica investigation reveals the Trump Administration appointed James Renne, a key staffer involved in the Bush-era anti-LGBTQ purge of gay government employees, to a senior role at the Department of Agriculture.

— 3.28.17: The Trump Administration cancels plans to add the LGBTQ community to its upcoming 2020 U.S. Census, a survey conducted every decade by the federal government to help collect data about living Americans and the United States of America.

— 3.28.17: Under his proposed budget for the U.S. Congress, The Trump Administration offered to cut HIV and AIDS research funding under the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

— 3.24.17: President Trump appointed anti-LGBTQ activist and former Heritage Foundation employee Roger Severino to lead the Health and Human Services Civil Rights Office, putting the LGBTQ community at risk of losing access to critical and affordable health care. 

— 3.20.17: Trump Administration erases the LGBTQ community from The National Survey of Older Americans Act Participants and the Annual Program Performance Report for Centers for Independent Living, key surveys that are used to help provide care to American seniors – including disability, transportation, and caregiver support needs.

— 2.22.17 – With help of Attorney General Sessions, President Trump rescinded Title IX protections for transgender students in our nation’s schools. 

— 2.02.17: ABC News reports that after previously committing to protecting LGBTQ Americans from discrimination, President Trump and his administration had drafted a “License to Discriminate” executive order which would usher in across-the-board discrimination against the LGBTQ community. 

— 1.27.17: President Donald Trump issued an executive order to indefinitely ban Syrian refugees from entering the United States. This ban includes LGBTQ refugees fleeing the nation in fear of discrimination. 

— 1.20.17: Minutes after Donald Trump was sworn into office, any mention of the LGBTQ community were erased from White House, Department of State, and Department of Labor websites.

President Obama’s LGBTQ Record

— 10.29.09 — Obama Signed Matthew Shepard Act: “When a gay Wyoming college student was slain in 1998, congressional Democrats pledged to broaden the definition of federal hate crimes by the end of that year to include attacks based on sexual orientation. The effort instead turned into a decade-long proxy war between liberal groups that want to expand gay rights and conservative groups that do not. But Wednesday, President Obama signed the bill and then hosted a White House reception for gay activists and the parents of the slain student, 21-year-old Matthew Shepard.” [Washington Post]

— 10:30.09 – Obama Lifted Ban on HIV-positive people entering the U.S.: “President Obama on Friday announced the end of a 22-year ban on travel to the United States by people who had tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS, fulfilling a promise he made to gay advocates and acting to eliminate a restriction he said was “rooted in fear rather than fact.” [New York Times]

— 7.22.11 – Obama Ended ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Policy: “President Obama formally certified on Friday that the American military is ready for the repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy as Pentagon officials said that nearly two million service members had been trained in preparation for gay men and women serving openly in their ranks.” [New York Times]

— 05.06.15 — Obama Called for an End to So-Called “Conversion Therapy”: “A 17-year-old transgender youth, Leelah Alcorn, stunned her friends and a vast Internet audience in December when she threw herself in front of a tractor-trailer after writing in an online suicide note that religious therapists had tried to convert her back to being a boy. In response, President Obama is calling for an end to such therapies aimed at “repairing” gay, lesbian and transgender youth. His decision on the issue is the latest example of his continuing embrace of gay rights. [New York Times]

— 07.30.15 – Obama White House Undated National HIV/AIDS Strategy: “The White House on Thursday released an updated version of its National HIV/AIDS Strategy that includes a comprehensive plan for reducing the number of new HIV infections between 2015 and 2020 by at least 25 percent.” [Washington Blade]

— 11.27.15 – Obama’s Healthcare Reform Prohibited Discrimination Against LGBTQ People: “The health law has provisions such as preventive services and non-discrimination protection for the LGBT population.” [Orlando Sentinel]

— 06.24.16 – Obama Named Stonewall a National Monument: “President Barack Obama announced Friday he was designating the area around the Stonewall Inn in New York City as the country’s first national monument to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights.” [CNN]

Throughout His Administration:

— Obama Brought LGBTQ Staffers into his Administration: “And Fanning’s nomination punctuates the fact that members of the LGBT community have also made similar advances under Obama: There are now hundreds of openly gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender appointees in the executive branch, compared with a handful in past administrations.” [Washington Post]

— Obama Advocated for Transgender Rights: “There have been cascading court victories over the years, too, along with little touches from the Obama administration: the hiring of the first openly transgender White House staffer; a gender-neutral bathroom in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building; Vice President Biden calling the current fight the “civil rights issue of our time” in 2012; Obama saying the word “transgender” for the first time in a State of the Union address.” [Daily Beast]

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