Advocates Shred 'LGBTQ For Trump' T-Shirt Sale Ahead Of Pride Month
The White House may not have issued a Pride Month proclamation for two years in a row, but that hasn’t stopped President Donald Trump’s campaign from discounting their official “LGBTQ for Trump” T-shirts just in time for June.
Billed as an “exclusive equality tee,” the shirts feature a rainbow design and allow customers to “show your pride and your support for Trump.”
Trump — who banned trans troops, is against LGBT employment protections, wants ppl to be able to turn away LGBT customers, & is denying citizenship to kids of US gay couples born out of wedlock — is selling LGBTQ for Trump shirts for Pride https://t.co/LcfzYb6oF9 via @NewNowNext pic.twitter.com/QAG6M7tlxJ
— David Mack (@davidmackau) May 23, 2019
The designs aren’t new ― in fact, they first appeared on the president’s official site as far back as 2016, when he was still on the campaign trail. But they’ve become a hot topic on social media thanks to a Thursday article by NewNowNext reporter Kate Sosin, who pointed out that they’d been recently discounted from $30 to $24.
Sosin’s article was followed by similar pieces in Newsweek, The Advocate and other media outlets, and prompted GLAAD Chief Programs Officer Zeke Stokes to issue a statement on Twitter encouraging LGBTQ customers to shop elsewhere.
"Trump should hold the sales pitch and try issuing a statement honoring June as National Pride Month and the countless of LGBTQ Americans who fought tooth and nail for the level of acceptance our nation sees today.’” -- @zekestokes https://t.co/jWwqt8Aie3
— GLAAD (@glaad) May 23, 2019
If LGBTQ people want to get outfitted for Pride Month, they should try our collaboration with @ASOS or the new @express collection, both of which benefit our work to accelerate acceptance.
— GLAAD (@glaad) May 23, 2019
Other LGBTQ rights advocates and media personalities felt similarly, blasting the news as hypocritical given Trump’s anti-LGBTQ platform. Earlier this week, his administration has proposed a rule change that would allow homeless shelters to deny transgender people equal access to services.
Let me know if you're buying an "LGBTQ for Trump" shirt so I can block you. https://t.co/dHO7aKnDPi
— Zack Ford (@ZackFord) May 23, 2019
The same @realDonaldTrump who won't name June Pride Month, whose White House wants to discriminate against homeless trans ppl, and who is fine with businesses refusing to serve LGBTQ people is selling Pride tees. This is not a fever dream. #PrideMonth https://t.co/3PxWx27Kvb
— Tracy E. Gilchrist (@TracyEGilchrist) May 23, 2019
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the shirts from HuffPost.
Prior to Trump’s 2016 election win, however, then-spokesman Boris Epshteyn told CNN that the campaign was selling the shirts because the candidate “has spoken to the LGBT community throughout his lifetime.”
“When the horrible shooting in Orlando happened, he said that ISIS specifically is targeting the gay/LGBT community,” Epshteyn said at the time. “So, this is a candidate who’s very open to all communities, including this one, so we should be celebrating this, because it is revolutionary almost for a Republican to be doing this kind of outreach.”
Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.