Trump Administration Signals Loss Of Ground For LGBT Rights

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Publish Date:
July 28, 2017
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San Francisco Chronicle
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Summary

After 49 people were massacred at a gay nightclub in Orlando in June 2016, presidential candidate Donald Trump promised to be a “real friend” to the gay community.

Decrying the “assault” on people’s ability to “love who they want to and express their identity,” the Republican front-runner declared, “I will fight for you.”

On the other hand, said Stanford Law Professor Jane Schacter, this week’s developments shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Trump’s campaign statements “were vague rhetorical gestures, not specific commitments,” Schacter said. More revealing, she said, was the 2016 Republican platform, which denounced the Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling legalizing same-sex marriage and condemned “redefining sex discrimination to include sexual orientation,” the issue in the current federal court case.

Schacter also cited Trump’s selection of Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, an outspoken opponent of gay rights, as his running mate.

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