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How Trump Self-Scored 36 Points on LGBTQ Rights — And Why It’s a Failing Grade
The administration has done nothing whatsoever to support LGBTQ rights
On June 11, 2020, the Republican Party published a 36-point list with yet another Orwellian title so typical of this administration: “President Trump Has Taken Unprecedented Steps To Protect The LGBTQ Community.” It’s intentionally misleading. It’s propaganda.
Even without performing a fact-check, we can see that the document doesn’t describe 36 distinct actions. The list is repetitive.
Spotting the smaller number of points actually being made and fact-checking them, we can see that the administration hasn’t done anything in favor of LGBTQ rights.
Section #1, with sixteen points, claims that Trump has “kept his promise to protect LGBTQ citizens”
Trump made an Islamophobic statement including the word ‘LGBTQ’
Four points are dedicated to mentioning that Trump — four years ago, before he was even elected — once pronounced the acronym “LGBTQ.” Of course, the document omits the Islamophobic context of the remark. This is called “homonationalism.”
Trump included Richard Grenell in his administration
Another four points are dedicated to mentioning that Trump appointed an openly gay man, Richard Grenell, first as Ambassador to Germany and then as the acting Director of National Intelligence. Grenell has already left both positions.
Yes, during his ambassadorship, Grenell hosted a dinner party at his house in Berlin on February 19, 2019 with 11 European activists to discuss the worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality. However, this meeting included no other Americans, and Trump seemed unaware of it until the news reported it. Trump has occasionally taken credit for this dinner party, calling it a “global campaign to decriminalize homosexuality.” Outside of tweets, Trump never even mentioned the “campaign” until a single sentence in a September 2019 speech at the United Nations; no other actions except that single dinner party have been…
