If ever some members of the LGBT community still think that President Donald Trump favors them (even after all this time), think again as Trump is now openly speaking with anti-LGBT groups
After speaking during the Family Research Council’s Values Voter Summit last month, Trump is now set to speak with the Heritage Foundation on the 17th.
Both groups have been marked as being anti-LGBT for their declarations and support for anti-LGBT policies, with one organization earning the tag of being a hate group as well.
Anti-LGBT groups: Strike 1
As the first sitting president to address the supporters of the Family Research Council, Trump seems to set the bar pretty low.
During the gathering at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., he declared that he wants to protect religious freedom and bring back Judeo-Christian values back to the US.
“In America we don’t worship government. We worship God. Inspired by that conviction, we are returning moral clarity to our view of the world and the many grave challenges we face,” Trump said during the summit.
He also praised the group’s president, Tony Perkins, as a “tremendous guy.”
It should be noted that the Southern Poverty Law Center had identified this far-right, anti-LGBT organization as a bonafide hate group.
Anti-LGBT groups: Strike 2
To prove that wasn’t a fluke, Trump is set to address the Heritage Foundation their annual President’s Club Meeting.
In a statement, the group said: “Heritage has been instrumental in providing the Trump administration with sound policy advice and experts who now serve in key government positions.”
While known for being a right-wing conservative think-tank, the Heritage Foundation is also known for lobbying primarily against LGBT equality, specifically against protections for LGBT workers and equal marriage.
The organization has also been pushing for the First Amendment Defense Act, which would allow religious people to discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
“President Trump is actively courting organizations who use hatred and fearmongering to target the rights of the LGBTQ community,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD.
““As Trump continues to push for religious exemptions to legalize discrimination against the LGBTQ community against the will of the American people, he must be held accountable for his ties to these fringe anti-LGBTQ groups,” Ellis added.
As we’ve mentioned before, we’re not surprised that Trump favors people who don’t like the LGBT community. But as time goes by, it looks like he’s getting more open about how he really feels about us.