GLAAD RELEASES STATEMENT ON THE NOMINATION OF DONALD TRUMP AND NEW RESEARCH ON THE TRUMP RECORD ON KEY LGBTQ ISSUES

GLAAD: “The twice-impeached former president’s record-length speech was long on familiar racist scapegoating and completely empty of ideas to improve the lives of all Americans. Voters have already repeatedly rejected the former president, his divisive and dangerous rhetoric, and his policies that strip fundamental freedoms from all Americans. The Trump record clearly spells out the ways Trump moved against LGBTQ Americans and all women and families, cratered the economy, and created chaos around the world with his dictator-worship and incompetence. Trump’s current campaign is promising even worse for all those who are not wealthy, male, and white, with enablers from Project 2025 at the ready to create a government not of the people but of the extremist fringe few. Voters and reporters must continue to remind all Americans of the many failures of the Trump presidency and current campaign. Citizens deserve leaders beholden not to the corrupt and the powerful, but to every American who deserves a future where freedom can expand and lift all of us up.”

(Friday, July 19, 2024) GLAAD, the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, is responding to the nomination of twice-impeached, convicted of 34 felonies for election interference, Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

During Trump’s speech last night, he repeated baseless disinformation about transgender women and girls participating in sports. GLAAD’s Voter Poll shows a majority of voters in all parties oppose “a political candidate [who] speaks frequently about restricting access to health care and participation in sports for transgender youth.”

GLAAD has documented Trump’s ongoing record against LGBTQ Americans through his one term and current campaign for president, detailing at least 219 attacks in policy, policy proposals, and false and harmful rhetoric.

Trump’s comprehensive and dangerous anti-LGBTQ record is detailed on the GLAAD Trump Accountability Tracker, here.

The record includes Trump’s violent presidency and electoral and criminal history:

• Trump deployed a military force to disperse protestors at the White House so he could hold up a Bible (upside down) in a photo opp.

• Trump lost the 2020 election, encouraged a violent riot to overthrow the results, and did nothing as president to stop the deadly violence raging at the Capitol.

• Trump continues to claim, falsely, that he won the 2020 presidential election.

• Dozens of Trump appointees and Cabinet members have refused to endorse and work with him ever again, including his former vice president, Mike Pence, who was hunted by the pro-Trump mob chanting “hang Mike Pence” on January 6, 2021.

• Trump’s endorsed candidates and policies have been defeated in every election since 2016, including record losses in 2018, and historic losses in 2022.

• Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts in May of election interference to silence women. He was found liable for sexual assault of E. Jean Carroll and has been credibly accused of sexual assault by more than a dozen women.

STATEMENT FROM GLAAD PRESIDENT AND CEO, SARAH KATE ELLIS:

“The twice-impeached former president’s record-length speech was long on familiar racist scapegoating and wholly empty of ideas to improve the lives of all Americans. Voters have already repeatedly rejected the former president, his divisive and dangerous rhetoric, and his policies that strip fundamental freedoms from all Americans. The Trump record clearly spells out the ways Trump moved against LGBTQ Americans and all women and families, cratered the economy, and created chaos around the world with his dictator-worship and incompetence. Trump’s current campaign is promising even worse for all those who are not wealthy, male, and white, with enablers from Project 2025 at the ready to create a government not of the people but of the extremist fringe few. Voters and reporters must continue to remind all Americans of the many failures of the Trump presidency and current campaign. Citizens deserve leaders beholden not to the corrupt and the powerful, but to every American who deserves a future where freedom can expand and lift all of us up.”

Additional research:

• Trump’s connections to Project 2025, a roadmap for authoritarian takeover of the federal government, criminalization and elimination of abortion and birth control, and elimination of LGBTQ protections and recognitions, is documented here.

• Trump’s record against LGBTQ people in all of the top issues important to LGBTQ Americans and all Americans includes:

• Abortion: bragging about nominating Supreme Court justices to overturn 50 years of safe and legal abortions, and supporting justices who said landmark LGBTQ protective decisions including Obergefell, Lawrence and Griswold should be “reconsidered.” Refusing to say whether he’d enforce the Comstock Act, which criminalizes mailing of abortion and birth control medication.

• Climate Change: Trump promised top oil executives that he would immediately reverse historic efforts to mitigate climate change, which disproportionately affects LGBTQ people, families and other marginalized communities, if big oil would contribute $1 billion to his re-election bid.

• The Economy and Housing Crisis: Trump oversaw a Justice Department that fought to the U.S. Supreme Court for the right to discriminate against LGBTQ workers, customers, and families seeking to adopt.

• Education: advocating to defund schools that support LGBTQ students.

• Public Safety and Rising Extremism includes documentation of Trump’s support of violent white supremacists and conspiracy theorists, including overtly supporting QAnon which stated, “Trump is waging a secret war against elite Satan-worshiping pedophiles in government, business, and the media.” QAnon adherents have been tied to many violent acts, including the attack on former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband in 2023.

GLAAD’s Voter Poll shows LGBTQ registered voters are highly motivated to vote with 94% indicating they are definitely (83%) or probably (11%) voting this November.  82% strongly 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.”