Trump Administration’s Homophobia Out in the Open

By DANIELLE SEYMOUR
Contributing Writer

The United States has made leaps and bounds when it comes to LGBT rights in the last two decades. A major landmark for the community occurred in 2015 when same sex marriage was finally legalized for the entire nation.

This gave the impression that our nation was finally stepping into the 21st century. That is, until Donald Trump took his place in the oval office and led our country in a huge step backwards.

Trump’s views on the LGBT community has been inconsistent at best. Any actions he planned to make against the community were not a large part of his platform in the 2016 election. He avoided making any comments on gay and transgender rights and embraced a “Gays for Trump” following, clearly trying to convince us that his endless capacity for hate did not extend to the LGBT community. Many saw through this thinly veiled attempt, as the facade cracked with each move the President made.

It recently came out that Karen Pence, Vice President Mike Pence’s wife, teaches at Immanuel Christian School, a school that bans LGBTQ+ behavior, meaning that both LGBT students and employees are not allowed at the school. Mike Pence’s anti-gay views have been under scrutiny before, since he opposed sex marriage as well as other laws that would limit discrimination and allegedly supported conversion therapy for LGBT youth, a stance that he now denies having.

His wife’s new position in a school that rejects LGBT people further demonstrates to the American people that homophobia is a value that runs deep in the Pence family.

While this news was unsurprising, people found the Second Lady’s job choice to be disturbing and unacceptable, making it the final crack to shatter Trump’s already weakening facade. The Trump Administration is homophobic, and they are no longer trying to hide it.

It was hardly difficult to recognize the anti-LGBT rhetoric in the Trump Administration since the beginning of his term, as one of his early actions as President was to rescind transgender students’ right to use the restroom that corresponds with their gender. In fact, his attack on the rights of transgender people continues, as his transgender military ban was passed by the Supreme Court this week.

The Administration’s hatred also extends to minorities in sexual orientation. The conversation turned to gay rights in a meeting with a legal scholar, and Trump gestured to his vice president saying, “Don’t ask that guy—he wants to hang them all!”

While it is obvious that the President meant this as a joke, I doubt many LGBT people found it funny. I cannot imagine that anyone in a group commonly victimized by hate crimes would find a joke about their executions humorous.

Trump’s actions have given America license to openly hate again, and the American people have taken this and ran with it. The far right of the American public have reopened patched wounds, only this time, they put on a red cap in place of white hoods.

People across the country think they can do or say any hateful thought that comes to them, and the scariest part is, they can. Just like our President, any heinous act or comment is soon forgotten or excused. Trump’s administration has revealed the ugly truth about America.

Homophobia and hatred is not a thing of the past, they just needed permission, and Trump was happy to oblige. The actions and words of the people involved with Trump’s Administration proves to the LGBT people of the United States that this is a government that will not protect them. Trump and Pence have shown not only disregard, but disdain for the rights of LGBT people, leaving us to count down the days until he leaves office.

Since his inauguration, Trump has made it his personal mission to buff out every good mark that Obama made on this nation, including the advances he made in the area of LGBT equality.

As the blatant hatred residing in the White House grows, it leaves LGBT people wondering which of their rights will be the next in Trump’s crosshairs.