PFLAG National ED Jaime Grant Calls Out Trump/Pence Hanging "Joke"
WASHINGTON, D.C.—PFLAG National—the nation's largest and oldest organization uniting families and allies with people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer ( LGBTQ )—released the following statement from Executive Director Jaime M. Grant, Ph.D.:
"There is no such thing as a 'joke' that puts the lives of people at risk, or draws upon horrific chapters in our nation's history where people have been targeted for violence and lives destroyed. Again, this administration shows that they have no understanding or respect for the term 'leadership,' and all of us must resist with all of our strength for the lives and livelihoods of our loved ones."
PFLAG is the nation's largest organization uniting families, allies, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer ( LGBTQ ) people. PFLAG is committed to advancing equality through its mission of support, education, and advocacy, and has nearly 400 chapters and 200,000 supporters crossing multiple generations of American families in major urban centers, small cities, and rural areas in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. To learn more, visit pflag.org, like us on Facebook ( /pflag ), or follow us on Twitter ( @pflag ) or Instagram.
HRC Statement on Donald Trump "Joking" About Pence Wanting to Kill LGBTQ People
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) responded to a report that Donald Trump "joked" about Mike Pence wanting to hang LGBTQ people.
HRC President Chad Griffin said of the New Yorker anecdote, "It's disturbing and sickening that Donald Trump would 'joke' about Mike Pence wanting to 'hang them all' in reference to LGBTQ people. Hate violence is tragically still a fact of life for LGBTQ people across this country, even without Donald Trump and Mike Pence helping to fan the flames. Mike Pence has spent his career attacking LGBTQ people in Congress, in the governor's mansion, and now in the White House. Donald Trump's remark lays open the depth of their hostility and animosity toward LGBTQ people, and just how deeply they believe we should be treated as second-class citizens in our own country. That's not funny, that's dangerous and un-American."
The Trump-Pence administration's hositility towards LGBTQ people does not exist in a vacuum. In January, the HRC Foundation released the results of a groundbreaking post-election survey of more than 50,000 young people ages 13-18 revealing the deeply damaging fallout the November election has had on youth across the United States.
The online survey, believed to be the largest ever of its kind, found that 70 percent of respondents have witnessed bullying, hate messages or harassment since the election, with racial bias the most common motive cited. More than a quarter of LGBTQ youth said they have been personally bullied or harassed since Election Day — compared to 14 percent of non-LGBTQ youth — with transgender young people most frequently targeted.
In 2016, advocates tracked at least 23 deaths of transgender people in the United States due to fatal violence, the most ever recorded. These victims were killed by acquaintances, partners and strangers, some of whom have been arrested and charged, while others have yet to be identified. Some of these cases involve clear anti-transgender bias. In others, the victim's transgender status may have put them at risk in other ways, such as forcing them into homelessness.
