Trump spokesperson in 2012: ‘Gay is not normal’
A series of tweets from 2012 have resurfaced where an official national spokesperson for the Trump campaign calls gays “not normal”.
The self-proclaimed “friend of gays” Donald Trump seems to have surrounded himself with anti-LGBT campaigners and staff.
First was his selection of anti-LGBT governor Mike Pence as his running mate, and now tweets from 2012 indicate that the face of the Trump campaign on cable news, Katrina Pierson, had some anti-LGBT sentiments too.
In an exchange with another Twitter user, Ms Pierson argues that even if a same-sex couple gets married in a church it still shouldn’t be considered marriage and that being gay isn’t “normal”.
When questioned by Buzzfeed News about the tweets, Ms Pierson said: “It’s a long reach to go back to 2012 to try to create a new hit piece and call it relevant.
“You’ll also find that as a grassroots volunteer for multiple campaigns, it’s quite common that Twitter is a platform to promote/defend the policies and values of the candidates at the time.
“Many times, it’s about engaging trolls which can lead to humorous and sarcastic banter.”
She concluded that “positions/values of the candidates are not necessarily a sole reflection of the individual promoting or supporting said candidate,” so there is “nothing to square.”
In June, Trump tweeted that he would fight for the LGBT community, while Hillary “brings in more people that threaten your freedoms and beliefs.”
Then, in Trump’s acceptance speech for the Republican nomination he said, “As your president, I will do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens from the violence and oppression of a hateful foreign ideology.”
In contrast, his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton has recently unveiled a new action plan on HIV/AIDS, backing HIV-preventing drugs and pledging to tackle transmissions among at-risk minority groups.
