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Treatment of LGBTQ+ Community by Republican Presidents in the 21st Century

Since the turn of the 21^st Century, two Republican candidates have been elected as President of the United States—the 43^rd President, George W. Bush and the 45^th President, Donald J. Trump. Both men share similarities and differences in their treatment of the LGBTQ+ community despite being nominated candidates from the same (Republican) party.

George W. Bush

George Bush was perceived as a longtime opponent of same-sex marriage going back to his days as the governor of Texas. He worked to maintain the criminal status of homosexual conduct in the Lone Star State. Furthermore, as president he remained hushed concerning his views on homosexuality at large. Rather than making his opposition a centerpiece of his campaign Bush remained tight-lipped about the controversial issue, presumably to maintain his highly-influential status in the eyes of the conservative evangelical voting block. That said, Bush allowed a piece of President William H. Clinton’s legislation to remain in effect throughout his tenure as the President of the United States. Specifically, this legislation banned discrimination against LGBTQ individuals by the government. As his administration progressed, Bush made progress in terms of the Republican Party’s relationship with the LGBTQ community when he appointed Scott Evertz as director of the Office of National AIDS Policy—Evertz was the first openly-gay man to serve in a Republican Presidential Administration. Furthermore, Bush also appointed the openly-gay Michael E. Guest as the U.S. Ambassador to Romania and met with the gay activist group known as the Log Cabin Republicans during his campaigns. In a defense of the one-man-one-woman definition of marriage, while simultaneously appealing to American freedom Bush stated, “People decide to-what they do in the privacy of their house. Consenting adults should be able to. This is America. It's a free society, but it doesn't mean we have to redefine traditional marriage.”

Donald J. Trump

President Donald J. Trump shares in Bush’s complex relationship with the LGBTQ community. While President Trump promised to protect their rights as a community during his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in June 2016, supporters remain skeptical of his intentions and beliefs about said rights. The most controversial comments he has shared about the LGBTQ community when he likened the idea of homosexuality to sport—specifically golf. He said, "It's like in golf. A lot of people -- I don't want this to sound trivial -- but a lot of people are switching to these really long putters, very unattractive. It's weird. You see these great players with these really long putters, because they can't sink three-footers anymore. And, I hate it. I am a traditionalist. I have so many fabulous friends who happen to be gay, but I am a traditionalist." In this statement, it appears that he attempts to note that his personal views and practice are separate from his treatment of people, but the statement also could be seen to trivialize the plight of LGBTQ individuals and was not received favorably by the community.

Not only has Trump stated some controversial things concerning gay rights, he chose Mike Pence (the former Governor of Indiana) as his running mate in the 2016 Presidential Election and eventually his Vice President as well. Pence is an outspoken conservative and has been viewed as an overall opponent of LGBTQ rights. He has said that the normalization of homosexuality signals the beginning of a society’s collapse and also fought against the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”