WASHINGTON (Nexstar) — Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) advocates, like the rest of America, are taking sides in the 2020 presidential contest.
The Log Cabin Republicans, the nation’s largest collective of LGBTQ conservatives, recently endorsed the reelection of President Trump. The group said he’s taken bold actions to help the community, including efforts to end HIV/AIDS.
But opponents like the Human Rights Campaign say the Trump administration has attacked LGBTQ rights and made it easier to discriminate.
Log Cabin spokesperson Charles Moran said the president’s commitment to ending HIV/AIDS was a contributing factor.
“This is so critical because that issue is so important to the LGBT community. It wiped out a generation,” Moran said.
In addition, Moran said the group supports the administration’s international effort to ban the criminalization of homosexuality.
However some gay rights activists said the endorsement Trump is laughable because the administration’s policies have done the community more harm than good.
“Donald Trump and Mike Pence are dangerous to marginalized communities. Nobody is buying that they are good for the LGBTQ community,” said Chris Sgro with the Human Rights Campaign.
Sgro points to the administration’s restrictions on transgender service members and efforts to roll back Obama-era protections.
“Recently they submitted a briefing to the Supreme Court that said the Supreme Court should not uphold protections against discrimination in areas such as employment for lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer people,” Sgro said.
While advocates are divided on who they plan to support in 2020, they have one thing in common, they both say their voters are energized for the 2020 presidential race.
