President Donald Trump on Friday
recognized June as LGBT Pride month.
The recognition, however, came in the
form of a tweet, not an official proclamation.
“As we celebrate LGBT Pride Month and
recognize the outstanding contributions LGBT people have made to our
great Nation, let us also stand in solidarity with the many LGBT
people who live in dozens of countries worldwide that punish,
imprison or even execute individuals on the basis of sexual
orientation,” Trump messaged his supporters. “My administration
has launched a global campaign to decriminalize homosexuality and
invite all nations to join us in this effort!”
Earlier this year, U.S. Ambassador to
Germany Richard Grenell, the highest-ranking openly gay person in the
Trump administration, launched a global initiative to decriminalize
same-sex relationships. The effort seemed aimed at Iran.
(Related: Trump
administration launches global push to decriminalize homosexuality.)
The tweet makes Trump the first
Republican president in history to recognize LGBT Pride month.
However, Trump issued a number of official proclamations on Friday,
but not one recognizing Pride. Proclamations issued recognize the
oceans, African-American music, national homeownership, the great
outdoors and Caribbean-American heritage.
Trump, who said during the 2016
election that he would be a better “friend” to the LGBT community
than his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, has repeatedly undermined
the rights of LGBT people, including prohibiting transgender
individuals from serving in the military and asserting in legal
briefs that LGBT people are not covered under existing civil rights
laws. Trump
has also signaled his opposition to the Equality Act, a federal
bill which would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation
and gender identity.
Chad Griffin, president of the Human
Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest LGBT rights advocate,
criticized the president's recognition of Pride, calling it a “gross
hypocrisy, with an emphasis on gross.”
“You can't celebrate Pride and
constantly undermine our rights – including attacking #TransHealth,
discharging #TransTroops, refusing to protect LGBTQ youth, and
cozying up to dictators who brutalize & marginalize LGBTQ
people,” Griffin said in a tweet.