Trump unveils LGBTQ t-shirts for Pride Month just hours after his government proposed removal of transgender health care protections
President Donald Trump's latest merchandise is causing a backlash in the LGBTQ community. The Republican's website has reportedly added a "Trump Pride Tee" that reads "LGBTQ for Trump, and the back of the t-shirt says "Trump Pence - Make America Great Again." The move has caused a furore amongst the LGBTQ community considering the duo's record on queer rights.
The move comes hours after the Trump administration announced its policies gutting healthcare protections for transgender people. One of the rules, finalized on Tuesday, would permit health care workers to recuse themselves from treating transgender patients on religious grounds and a draft rule issued on Wednesday seeks to permit homeless shelters to turn away transgender people.
Trump administration's latest move is considered by many as a broader effort to undo LGBT and reproductive rights, many of which were introduced by his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama. The Trump administration asserts that civil rights law banning "sex" discrimination should be narrowly interpreted.
Executive director at Transgender Law Center, Kris Hayashi, in a statement, said: "This rule dangerously encourages illegal discrimination, putting the lives of transgender people in jeopardy." Hayashi, while referring to the draft rule, said that it is "yet another outright attack from the Trump administration on the health, well-being, and survival of transgender people."
While the executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, Mara Keisling, said that the proposal "will abandon 2 million Americans" who were protected under the previous rule.
BuzzFeed News David Mack wrote about the Trump shirts on Twitter, saying: "Trump — who banned trans troops, is against LGBT employment protections, wants ppl to be able to turn away LGBT customers, & is denying citizenship to kids of US gay couples born out of wedlock — is selling LGBTQ for Trump shirts for Pride."
While the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (Glaad’s) Zeke Stokes said that President Trump's administration is attempting to fool the LGBTQ community yet again: "The Trump Administration is trying to pull yet another con job on LGBTQ Americans, but like their other desperate ploys, this idea will fall flat.” Glaad is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization founded by LGBT people in the media.
Advocate's Tracy E Gilchrist also took to Twitter to slam the move, writing: "The same @realDonaldTrump who won't name June Pride Month, whose White House wants to discriminate against homeless trans ppl, and who is fine with businesses refusing to serve LGBTQ people is selling Pride tees. This is not a fever dream. #PrideMonth"