Friday, Donald Trump became the first sitting president to attend and and speak at the Values Voter Summit, an ultra-conservative, anti-LGBTQ event.
Addressing the crowd Trump said he wants to end “attacks on Judeo-Christian values.” He quoted President George Washington in saying that “religion and morality are indispensable” in American politics.
“It is our faith and our values that inspires us to give with charity, to act with courage and to sacrifice for what we know is right,” he said, noting that “in America, we don’t worship government, we worship God.”
In response to Trump’s speech GLAAD released the following statement.
“This morning, addressing a gathering of some of the most extreme anti-LGBTQ activists in the country, Trump once again legitimized hate speech and vowed, again and again to write discrimination into law by pushing laws focused on religious exemptions,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD. “The religious exemption laws that groups like the Family Research Council and the Trump administration fully support do not reflect real American values, they legalize discrimination by allowing hotels, ER doctors, business owners, and even pediatricians to legally deny services to hardworking LGBTQ families.”
The push for ‘religious exceptions’ is in direct contrast the majority of Americans who opposed these anti-LGBTQ laws, according to a recent study by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). PRRI also found that 72% of Americans support laws that protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. This includes six out of ten (60%) Republicans and 81% of Democrats.
GLAAD issued calls this morning across all platforms to recognize the Values Voters Summit for what it is – a convening of fringe groups united around discrimination against LGBTQ Americans. See some of our tweets below and read more about the other anti-LGBTQ speakers at the Values Voter Summit via GLAAD
