President Trump is being criticized for his congratulatory statement acknowledging June as “LGBT Pride” month — the first Republican president to do so.
On June 1 the White House released the following short presidential statement via Twitter: “As we celebrate LGBT Pride Month and recognize the outstanding contributions that LGBT people have made to our great Nation, let us also stand in solidarity with the many LGBT people who live in dozens of countries worldwide that punish, imprison, or even execute individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation. My Administration has launched a global campaign to decriminalize homosexuality and invites all nations to join us in this effort!”
While most conservative Christian individuals and groups gave the president a pass on the ill-advised greeting, Tim Wildmon of the American Family Association advised that “homosexuality is not something the president should celebrate. It’s unnatural, unhealthy, and immoral behavior.”
Wildmon added that he hoped the president would “continue to stand firm against the so-called Equality Act (H.R. 5) and any legislation that threatens religious freedom. Such legislation will use the full force of the federal government to punish Americans who don’t embrace the LGBT political agenda.”
Of course, this is not to suggest that conservative Christian individuals and groups believe that LGBT people should be imprisoned or executed for their behavior, but they do believe that LGBT lifestyles should not be normalized or celebrated, and individuals should not be forced by law to condone or support LGBT lifestyles. Furthermore, the United States has no business attempting to change the cultures of other countries, just as we do not accept other countries telling us how to conduct our business.
Homosexual activists were also largely critical of the president’s statement, calling it hypocritical. In a Twitter post, Chad Griffin of the pro-homosexual Human Rights Campaign wrote, “You can’t celebrate Pride and constantly undermine our rights — including attacking #TransHealth, discharging #TransTroops, refusing to protect LGBTQ youth, and cozying up to dictators who brutalize & marginalize LGBTQ people. This is gross hypocrisy, with an emphasis on gross.”
The Democratic National Committee offered its own self-serving Tweet, charging the president: “You want to define transgender people out of existence. Your record speaks for itself, and a single tweet won’t change that.”
By contrast, Gregory T. Angelo, a former communications specialist with the pro-homosexual Log Cabin Republicans, tweeted: “Been waiting all my life for a Republican to show this kind of leadership. THANK YOU PRESIDENT TRUMP!”
And in an effort to give President Trump the benefit of the doubt, Dr. Michael Brown, who regularly writes in opposition to the LGBTQ agenda, said that his impression “is that Donald Trump wants gays to be treated fairly and, as stated in a Fox News interview, he has no personal issue with gay ‘marriage,’ but when he feels that LGBT activism infringes on the rights of others, especially conservative Christians, he will stand against that activism.”
