Two months after last year’s inauguration, Log Cabin Republicans leader Gregory T. Angelo raised more than a few eyebrows when he called President Donald Trump “the most pro-LGBT Republican president in history.” Here we are a year later, and guess what? He’s sticking with his claim, come hell or high water.
In fact, in an interview with Michelangelo Signorile on Sirius XM, Angelo implied that Trump is even better for the LGBTQ community than former President Barack Obama… at least in one way.
“This president is the first president to enter the White House who believes that marriage equality is settled law of the land,” Angelo said, referring to a “60 Minutes” interview from over a year ago in which Trump was asked about his views on same-sex marriage. He didn’t actually state his own position on the matter, but said that the issue was “settled law.”
“Barack Obama didn’t believe that when he entered the White House,” Angelo said. “Hillary Clinton only came around to that position in 2013.”
Hmmm. He didn’t budge when Signorili pointed out that
Trump and his administration announced a ban on transgender people in the military; fired the entire presidential AIDS commission; decided not to collect data on LGBTQ people in the census; pulled questions about LGBTQ seniors in a health survey on the elderly; supported employer discrimination against LGBTQ people; backed allowing discrimination in public accommodations against LGBTQ people; appointed anti-LGBTQ judges to federal courts; and said he would stop investigating discrimination against trans students in bathrooms, among many other hostile actions…
Angelo’s response?
“As I’ve long said, if you’re calling Donald Trump out for what are actual or perceived biases against the LGBT community, you have to call a spade a spade, highlighting the pro-LGBT things he has done,” Angelo said.
And what might those “pro-LGBT things” be?
Well…
He said that while he opposed Trump’s tweets announcing he a ban on transgender people serving in the military, he excused the action as “cynical politics” meant to help a defense bill pass in a conservative Congress. He also said he thought Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was wrong to announce that the Department of Education would no longer investigate discrimination claims by transgender students regarding bathroom use, but added that she is “still pursuing other instances of discrimination against the transgender community.”
“You have to include these things,” Angelo said.
But seriously, asks Signorine – A “pro-LGBT” president?
“The facts speak for themselves,” Angelo responded. “I don’t want to keep belaboring these points, but: [Trump] entered the White House as first president saying he supports that marriage equality is settled law of the land, sent a letter of congratulations and commemoration [on Log Cabin’s 40th anniversary], and has people in his Cabinet who support marriage equality.”
OK then. Case closed. Trump loves the LGBTQ community.
