LGBTQIA
Timeline
| 2017.08.21 | Sam Clovis, Donald Trump's pick to be chief scientist for the Department of Agriculture, has argued that homosexuality is a choice and that the sanctioning of same-sex marriage could lead to the legalization of pedophilia. cnn.com (See also Assaults on Civil Liberties, Assaults on Facts) |
| 2017.08.22 | Trump endorses anti-LGBTQ activist Kelli Ward as candidate for U.S. Senate glaad.org |
| 2017.08.23 | Trump is preparing to give the Defense Department formal authority to expel transgender people from the military in an upcoming order, barring the Pentagon from recruiting transgender troops and cutting off payment for sexual reassignment surgery and other medical treatments for those already serving. nytimes.com (See also James Mattis, Department of Defense) |
| 2017.09.11 | A bipartisan pair of senators introduced an amendment Monday to try to reverse Donald Trump's ban on transgender individuals serving in the military. cnn.com (See also James Mattis, Department of Defense) |
| 2017.09.26 | Trump administration will urge court to rule against gay workers’ rights nbcnews.com |
| 2017.09.28 | Trump administration argues before the Second Court of Appeals that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not protect LGBTQ Americans from being fired because of their sexual orientation newsweek.com |
| 2017.10.05 | US Attorney General Jeff Sessions has reversed a federal government policy that said transgender workers were protected from discrimination under a 1964 civil rights law. buzzfeed.com (See also Legal Activity, Jeff Sessions, Department of Justice) Sessions' directive says, "Title VII’s prohibition on sex discrimination encompasses discrimination between men and women but does not encompass discrimination based on gender identity per se, including transgender status.” |
| 2017.10.13 | Donald Trump on Friday became the first sitting US president to address the Values Voter Summit, an annual gathering of evangelical conservatives organized by a prominent anti-LGBT group, the Family Research Council, where guests were warned of the "hazards of homosexuality." buzzfeed.com (See also Unpresidential Behavior) |
| 2017.10.16 | During a conversation with Mike Pence and a legal scholar about abortion and homosexuality, Trump motioned toward Pence and joked, “Don’t ask that guy—he wants to hang them all!” newyorker.com (See also Unpresidential Behavior, Mike Pence) |
| 2017.10.18 | Attorney General Jeff Sessions refused to discuss his conversations with Donald Trump about James Comey or Russia, despite 5 hours of testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee. nytimes.com (See also Russian Meddling in Election, Legal Issues, Department of Justice, Assaults on Civil Liberties) |
| 2017.10.30 | A federal court in Washington is barring Donald Trump from changing the government’s policy on military service by transgender people. apnews.com (See also Legal Issues) |
| 2017.11.24 | Jeff Sessions is methodically reshaping the Justice Department to reflect his nationalist ideology and hard-line views, from calling for prosecutors to pursue the most serious charges possible to altering the department's legal stances in cases involving voting rights and LGBTQ issues some would call discrimination. washingtonpost.com (See also Jeff Sessions, Department of Justice, Racism, Nationalism, Immigration, Muslim Immigration Ban, Assaults on Civil Liberties) |
| 2017.11.27 | A federal judge ruled that the military must move forward with plans for allowing transgender recruits starting on Jan. 1, 2018. buzzfeed.com (See also Legal Activity, Department of Justice, Department of Defense) |
| 2017.12.11 | A federal judge on Monday denied the Trump administration’s request to delay an order requiring the military to begin accepting transgender recruits starting Jan. 1, saying the argument for more time seemed based on “vague claims.” washingtonpost.com (See also Legal Issues, Department of Defense, James Mattis) |
| 2017.12.14 | A White House senior adviser at the Department of Homeland Security previously promoted conspiracy theories about former President Barack Obama's birthplace, lamented the "Zimbabwe-fication of America," and mocked the LGBT community. cnn.com (See also Racism, Black Americans, Department of Homeland Security, Belief in Conspiracy Theories) |
| 2017.12.19 | The collapse of three of Donald Trump’s judicial nominations in the span of a week has embarrassed the White House, revealed weaknesses in its vetting process and threatened to cause Senate Republicans to apply more scrutiny to the president’s picks. washingtonpost.com (See also Legal Issues, Supreme Court, Corruption) |
| 2017.12.29 | Donald Trump fired the remaining members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, informing them without explanation with a letter delivered by FedEx, six months after six members resigned from PACHA writing in an open letter, published in Newsweek, saying the Trump White House was pushing for legislation that would harm people living with HIV. newsweek.com (See also Assaults on Government, Health Care) |
| 2018.01.08 | Donald Trump on Monday resubmitted 21 judicial nominees to the Senate whose nominations expired in 2017 ― including two rated “not qualified” to be federal judges by the American Bar Association. huffingtonpost.com (See also Assaults on Government, Legal Activity, Black Americans, Voter Suppression) |
| 2018.01.17 | The Trump administration is considering a set of regulations that would offer new protections to health workers who refuse to provide care to transgender patients or women seeking abortion services. splinternews.com (See also Women, Department of Health and Human Services, Homophobia) |
| 2018.01.19 | The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it was allowing doctors, nurses and other health care workers to refuse to provide services for people that they object to based on religious beliefs, including abortion, providing contraception, and transgender health concerns. nytimes.com (See also Women, Homophobia) |
| 2018.02.01 | A higher-education bill working its way through Congress is a religious, right-leaning wish list, worrying college administrators and gay-rights groups. nytimes.com (See also Department of Education, Assaults on Civil Liberties) |
| 2018.02.12 | The Education Department has confirmed that it won't investigate or take action on any complaints filed by transgender students who are banned from restrooms that match their gender identity, charting new ground in the Trump administration's year-long broadside against LGBT rights. buzzfeed.com (See also Department of Education, Betsy DeVos) |
| 2018.02.26 | A federal appeals court in Manhattan ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act “prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation” — a major win for LGBT rights advocates and a loss for Donald Trump, whose administration argued that LGBT employees are not protected under that law. mic.com (See also Legal Activity) |
| 2018.03.23 | Donald Trump on Friday issued orders to ban transgender troops who require surgery or significant medical treatment from serving in the military except in select cases. politico.com (See also Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense) |
| 2018.05.11 | The Trump administration rolled back rules that allowed transgender inmates to use facilities that match their gender identity, including cell blocks and bathrooms, thereby reversing course on an Obama administration effort to protect transgender prisoners from sexual abuse and assault. buzzfeed.com (See also Reversals) |
Assessments
- 2016.11.14 "What a Trump presidency might mean for transgender students in schools" (Chicago Tribune)
"‘I think everybody is feeling pretty nervous,’ said Owen Daniel-McCarter, executive director of Illinois Safe Schools Alliance, a nonprofit that works with schools on LGBTQ issues." - 2016.11.28 "The Trump/Pence administration will likely switch sides on global LGBT rights" (Washington Post)
"During the Obama administration, U.S. diplomatic pressure advanced LGBT human rights around the world quite a bit. The administration of President-elect Donald Trump is likely to reverse that." 2016.11.30 Every One of Donald Trump’s Cabinet Picks So Far Opposes LGBT Rights (NY Mag)
"During his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, Donald Trump did something unusual: He acknowledged LGBT Americans. Referring to the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, Trump said, “This time, the terrorist targeted the LGBTQ community … and we’re going to stop it.” He then promised to 'protect LGBTQ citizens from the violence and oppression of a hateful foreign ideology.'
Coming from a Republican politician, even an acknowledgment of the LGBT community is pretty novel. But Trump’s promise was to protect LGBT Americans from hateful ideology abroad — he didn’t mention the hatred many regularly experience at home, sometimes due to policies proposed by people with whom he surrounds himself. Because of all his cabinet and cabinet-level picks so far, not one has a history of standing up for LGBT rights."
- 2016.12.06 "Gavin Grimm’s Transgender-Rights Case And The Problem With Informal Executive Action" (The New Yorker)
“Among the myriad areas subject to upheaval is the President’s administration of Title IX, the 1972 law that prohibits schools that receive federal funding from discriminating ‘on the basis of sex.’” - 2016.12.15 "Trump's Cabinet: A Who's Who of Homophobia" (Boston Globe)
“So far, Trump’s transition team, led by Vice President-elect Mike Pence—the Indiana governor with a history of antigay positions and actions, including signing the draconian Religious Restoration Freedom Act in 2015—appears to have given payback to antigay Trump supporters…” 2016.12.21 The First Amendment Defense Act Would Be Devastating to LGBTQ Americans (NBC News)
"FADA would prohibit the federal government from taking "discriminatory action" against any business or person that discriminates against LGBTQ people. The act distinctly aims to protect the right of all entities to refuse service to LGBTQ people based on two sets of beliefs: "(1) marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman, or (2) sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage."
Ironically, the language of the bill positions the right to discriminate against one class of Americans as a "first amendment" right, and bans the government from taking any form of action to curb such discrimination—including withholding federal funds from institutions that discriminate. FADA allows individuals and businesses to sue the federal government for interfering in their right to discriminate against LGBTQ people and would mandate the Attorney General defend the businesses."
- 2016.12.29 "Brace Yourselves for an Onslaught of Anti-LGBT Proposals in 2017" (Mother Jones)
"In 2016, state legislatures across the country proposed more anti-LGBT measures than they had in almost a decade, and activists anticipate more of the same in 2017." - 2017.01.20 Moments after Donald Trump became president, the White House's LGBT rights page disappeared (CBS News)
- 2017.01.23 Trump Administration Removes Apology for Anti-LGBTQ Witch Hunts from State Department Website (Human Rights Campaign)