A recent episode of “This American Life” featured a gay teenager who was totally gay for Donald Trump. This kid’s parents were totally opposed to him being gay and he cited his number-one issue as being marriage equality. He believed wholeheartedly that Trump supported marriage equality (he doesn’t). And even after being confronted with evidence that Trump has opinions to the contrary, the kid basically said that Trump pretends to be antigay to score points with conservatives, but that he doesn’t really feel that way.
And maybe that’s true. But, as John Oliver pointed out about Trump’s racism, he’s either racist or pretending to be — and after a while there isn’t any difference. The same goes for whether or not Trump is hostile to gays. You can only pretend to be antigay for so long before you’re antigay.
So why is there so much confusion about where Trump stands on issues of LGBT equality?
Well, for one thing, the contenders for the GOP nomination are basically an anti-Pride parade. Especially Ted Cruz, who can make anybody standing next to him look like a rainbow flag-waving PFLAG member.
But there’s also the fact that Trump doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to quell the confusion.
During a March 5 press conference, reporter David Martosko asked Trump to clarify his stance on marriage equality and Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court ruling legalizing marriage equality.
And Trump wouldn’t do it.
“Well, I’ve made it very strong. We have policy on it, and I’ve said it very, very strongly, and I think you know it,” Trump responded to Martosko. “And it’s all done and, you know, how many times do I have to say it? It’s like, as an example, what is my position on 900 different things? I’ve said it 150 times. We’re not here for discussing that. But everybody knows how I feel on it.”
Well, thank the Lord that’s cleared up. It’s exactly his position on 900 different things. Everybody knows! The end!
In all seriousness, I honestly think that Trump’s brain kind of resets itself in the middle of his sentences, much like how a space heater automatically turns off if it gets tipped over. While this might keep his brain from catching on fire, it also prevents him from making any sense.
To be clear, Trump has never come out in support of marriage equality. In fact, Trump has very recently asserted that if he were elected, he would appoint conservative Supreme Court justices with the goal to overturn Obergefell, a point he alluded to in the same press conference.
“Today I was thinking, for the first time really thinking about this. We lost a great man,” he said of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who died on Feb. 13. “He needs to be replaced, and you can only replace him with somebody truly great.”
Really? Trump had never really thought about the implications of Scalia’s replacement before? I doubt it, but if true then it’s further proof that Trump has no business being president. Also note that Trump says nothing specific about who he would like to see replace the notoriously antigay Scalia, except that they be “truly great.”
If you think that Trump is LGBT-friendly, then I have some Trump Steaks to sell you. Lesbian and gay rights have come so far (still a lot of work to do when it comes to transgender rights), so fast. We can’t risk decades of advancement on the wink-and-a-nudge evasiveness of a megalomaniac.
D’Anne Witkowski has been gay for pay since 2003. She’s a freelance writer and poet (believe it!). When she’s not taking on the creeps of the world, she reviews rock and roll shows in Detroit with her twin sister and teaches writing at the University of Michigan.