by Hayley Miller •
WASHINGTON, DC -- The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, responded to new media reports about a leaked License to Discriminate Executive Order that is being prepared by Donald Trump’s White House, less than 48 hours after they claimed to be supportive of the LGBTQ community. The leaked order -- which would allow an unprecedented expansion of taxpayer-funded discrimination that could have broad implications on LGBTQ people -- would be a direct contradiction of claims made earlier in the week order that Donald Trump would be an ally to the LGBTQ community. HRC has been raising concerns throughout the week and the White House may now be poised to move us backward. On Tuesday, HRC President Chad Griffin and other civil rights leaders gathered to warn against the threat of such an order.
HRC President Chad Griffin said:
“The leaked draft of Donald Trump's License to Discriminate order is sweeping and dangerous. It reads like a wishlist from some of the most radical anti-equality activists. If true, it seems this White House is poised to wildly expand anti-LGBTQ discrimination across all facets of the government -- even if he does maintain the Obama EO. If Donald Trump goes through with even a fraction of this order, he'll reveal himself as a true enemy to LGBTQ people. We’ve already seen that the Trump administration is willing to go after women, immigrants, people of color, and most frighteningly, people who disagree with him. If this version is true this could represent another chilling attempt to go after LGBTQ people, federal employees, employees of federal contractors, and people served by federal programs funded with taxpayer dollars. The impacts extend to anybody in the LGBTQ community, women, minority religious communities and others. Let’s make one thing clear: the Human Rights Campaign will fight tooth-and-nail to protect the LGBTQ community, and protect its members from discrimination.”
AVAILABLE FOR PRESS:
ROBBIE KAPLAN, Partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, who successfully argued the Windsor case and can speak to its legal effects, as well.
CHAD GRIFFIN, Human Rights Campaign President, who can speak broadly on the executive order and Trump’s LGBTQ record
SARAH WARBELOW, Human Rights Campaign Legal Director, who can speak to its legal effects and ramifications
Please reach out to Rob.flaherty@hrc.org or Press@HRC.org for requests and bookings.
The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer equality. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.
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