President Donald Trump has cancelled the White House’s LGBT Pride Month celebrations, ending Barack Obama’s eight-year tradition.
Trump has not proclaimed June as LGBT Pride Month and no events have been announced at the White House to celebrate the month.
Despite not signing any LGBT proclamations, Trump did release proclamations declaring June National Homeownership Month, National Ocean Month, African-American Music Appreciation Month and Great Outdoors Month.
The decision not to mark the month has ended Obama’s tradition of eight years. During their years in office, the Obama administration hosted a number of events to celebrate LGBT Pride Month and Obama issued an annual Proclamation recognising the month.
The move has angered many, especially after Trump announced he would be the most pro-LGBT president during his election campaign.
Democratic leader in the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi attacked the Trump administration in a statement. She said, “Tremendous progress has been achieved, but the journey is far from over.”
“LGBT Americans face an assault on their rights from the White House and House Republicans, who are gutting HIV prevention and treatment initiatives, dismantling protections for transgender children in public schools and conspiring to render LGBT Americans invisible in the census.”
“These hateful, discriminatory attacks dishonour our nation’s most sacred ideals of liberty and make passage of the Equality Act – which would bring the full force of the Civil Rights Act to secure equality for LGBT people – even more urgent.”
“The slain San Francisco Supervisor and civil rights leader Harvey Milk once said, ‘Rights are won only by those who make their voices heard.’
“In that spirit, let us raise our voices – in city halls and state capitols; in Congress and the Supreme Court – to fight for the equal dignity that every American is entitled to under our Constitution.”
“And let our voices never falter or fall silent, until we have built a safer, more just and more hopeful future for all.”
