President Trump to address anti-LGBT event during Pride Month
As Pride Month happens and while members of the LGBT community hold a demonstration for ‘Unity and Pride’, President Trump will address a group of LGBT leaders.
Trump is set to speak at a conference held by the Faith and Freedom Coalition.
The group is made up of anti-LGBT leaders. An announcement was made on Tuesday confirming Trump’s attendance just days before the Equality March for Unity and Pride.
This also comes as the Trump administration last week ended Pride Month celebrations at the White House, a tradition upheld by President Obama for eight years.
The ‘Road to Majority’ conference will take place at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington DC. Trump spoke at the Coalition last year during his Presidential campaign.
While he did not last year make explicitly anti-LGBT comments in his speech, he used the opportunity to attack opponent Hillary Clinton who he said is “as crooked as they come”.
Faith and Freedom Coalition chair Ralph Reed said in a statement: “President Trump won an overwhelming plurality of voters of faith last year and in the opening months of his administration faith-based voters remain his most loyal supporters and we are extremely excited that President Trump will once again address thousands of conservative activists from across the country at Road To Majority.”
Reed previously drew comparisons between court rulings in favour of same-sex marriage and slavery.
He added that Trump’s “administration has delivered on his campaign promises with the confirmation of Justice Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court, his appointment of the most socially conservative Cabinet in our nation’s history, and a number of executive and legislative accomplishments that confirm his commitment to be a pro-life president.”
Also in attendance will be vehemently anti-LGBT Vice President Mike Pence, as well as others who have attacked LGBT rights in the past such as Senator Ted Cruz, Steve Scalise and James Dobson.
The Coalition has in the past honoured anti-LGBT activist the late Phyllis Schlafly, who took anti-LGBT positions despite having a gay son.
The US Secretary of State this week released a statement in support of Pride Month – even though Donald Trump has abolished the annual proclamation of the event.
The Republican leader released proclamations marking June as “National Homeownership Month”, “National Ocean Month”, “African-American Music Appreciation Month” and “Great Outdoors Month” – but no such Proclamation was released for LGBT Pride Month.
The conference attracted criticism online previously for featuring Barack Obama urinal cakes, which commenters deemed “disrespectful”, “racist” and “un-Christian”.
