On May 30, jurors in a New York court found former president Donald Trump guilty of all 34 felony counts, including falsifying business records in an effort to cover up payments to silence women and suppress negative stories in the weeks leading up to the 2020 election. Trump is the first former U.S. president to be found guilty of any crime.
LGBTQ national organizations have responded to the verdict.
GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis responded on Twitter/X and here:
“The verdict underlines that no one is above the law, and that election interference is a serious crime that harms every American, including and especially vulnerable people whose voices should be heard and whose votes should be counted. The trial detailed how Donald Trump lied and schemed to get elected. In four horrific years in office he stripped LGBTQ Americans, all women, and others of our essential human rights, then lied about losing the 2020 election and encouraged a deadly riot at the Capitol to overturn it. Donald Trump is now a twice convicted, twice impeached, serial liar and sexual abuser who has always seen the presidency as a scam to enrich and protect himself. Today the jury emphatically said Trump is guilty as charged. Voters everywhere should follow the jury’s lead and continue to hold him accountable for his crimes, anti-American behavior and rhetoric.”
Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign in a statement:
“The twice-impeached, forever disgraced former President of the United States has now been convicted of 34 felony counts by a jury of his peers. Today’s conviction shows clearly that no one is above the law. And now, we must commit to showing up in November and ensuring that Trump doesn’t make his way from the courthouse back to the White House.”
In United States history, no previous president has ever been indicted. In addition to today’s case, Trump was found liable for sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll, and faces more than 50 charges in three other criminal cases that accuse him of illegal actions during and after his presidency, including keeping classified documents after leaving the White House and storing them unsecured at his Florida residence and resort; participating in a scheme to interfere with the peaceful transfer of power after losing the 2020 election to President Joe Biden; and coordinating an effort to thwart proper certification of the state of Georgia’s 2020 presidential election, which Biden won.
Earlier this year GLAAD released the findings of a poll gauging motivation and top issues ahead of the 2024 general election in November. The poll surveyed LGBTQ participants about how motivated they were to vote, top voter concerns, presidential candidate preferences, and about their emotional well-being and sense of personal safety in the current political environment.
Key findings include:
- LGBTQ voters are eager to participate in the November 2024 election and are positioned to be a decisive voter bloc, much like they were in the 2020 Presidential election. According to analysis in the Washington Post, LGBTQ voters in 2020 were 7 to 8% of the overall electorate, a turnout that played a decisive role in President Joe Biden’s win in the close contest swing states.
- LGBTQ likely voters prefer President Joe Biden over Donald Trump by +53 percentage points nationwide (68% Biden / 15% Trump) and by +57 percentage points in seven current close contest states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
- All categories overwhelmingly agree that “Republicans should stop focusing on restricting women’s rights and banning medical care for transgender youth and instead focus on addressing inflation, job creation, and healthcare costs.” 94% of LGBTQ voters, 76% of registered voters, 76% of likely 2024 voters, and 82% of swing voters agree.
- Candidates who frequently discuss restrictions on transgender youth are creating more opposition than support for their campaigns.
- 49% of LGBTQ voters reported experiencing real-world harassment or bullying caused by the current state of political discourse in our country.
- 72% experience negative impacts to their mental health and emotional well-being caused by the current state of political discourse in our country.
The GLAAD Trump Accountability Tracker is an ongoing documentation of Donald Trump’s anti-LGBTQ record, including more than 200 attacks in policy and rhetoric against LGBTQ Americans.
GLAAD is also tracking the Biden-Harris administration’s record on LGBTQ people and policy in our Biden Accountability Tracker here.