Former Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton on Saturday criticized the Trump administration's record on
LGBT rights.
Clinton made her remarks at the Human
Rights Campaign's (HRC) 21st annual National Dinner at the
Washington Convention Center. HRC is the nation's largest LGBT
rights advocate.
“The attacks on the LGBT community
here at home and around the world are striking and scary,” Clinton
told the audience. “I can only imagine what it's like to be in
the position that so many people still find themselves in in our
country.”
“I do know what it feels like to be
torn down and attacked and I want you to know that I'm with you,”
she added.
Clinton said that she was “outraged”
to learn of President Donald Trump's plan to ban transgender troops.
“You know and [Trump] knows that
transgender people have fought and died for this country,” she
said, adding that it was “insulting and wrong” for Trump to
suggest that transgender service members are unfit to serve.
Clinton, who was introduced by tennis
great Billie Jean King, also called for passage of the Equality Act,
a stalled bill which seeks housing and employment protections based
on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Outside the convention center,
demonstrators, some dressed as zombies, protested HRC partnering with
Wells Fargo, a presenting sponsor of the event.
The group No Justice No pride said in
statement that the zombies “reflect the horror done by HRC
partnering with a monster like Wells Fargo.”
According to the
Washington
Blade, the activists briefly spoke before the event, then
dispersed. No arrested were made.
Other speakers at Saturday's event
included Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, U.S. Senator Kamala Harris, a
Democrat from California, and Gold Star father Khizr Khan. HRC also
honored two-time Emmy Award-winning actress Uzo Aduba, best known
for playing inmate Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren in the Netflix
dramedy Orange is the New Black.
Aduba received the group's Ally for Equality Award.