RELEASE: You Could Be Next — Trump’s Anti-Gay Actions

The Florida LGBTA Caucus stands with civil rights activists in decrying the Trump administration’s latest attempts to roll back rights and protections for LGBT Americans. On the heels of announcing an unforeseen ban on transgender military personnel yesterday, the Trump administration also filed an amicus brief in a case against workplace protections for the LGBT community.

“This all-out assault on LGBT Americans is just the latest attempt to take America back to a time when only straight, white males were visible. If there had been any doubt about where the Trump administration stands with regard to LGBT rights, that doubt has been eliminated in a span of less than 24 hours,” said Terry Fleming, president of the Florida LGBTA Democratic Caucus. “The Trump administration intends to roll back LGBT rights, and with it the American commitment to diversity and inclusion.

“If you think your rights are safe — whoever you are, whatever demographic you belong to — take heed: you could be next.”

Despite a clarification from the Pentagon today that transgender service members can remain in their posts for now, there is still massive confusion about the implementation of the new policy and its impact on military personnel.

However, the amicus brief filed by the Justice Department in a New York case based on Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act is clear in its motivation: to deny LGBT workers basic protections on the job by declaring that employees are not protected from discrimination based on sexual orientation.

“The Florida LGBTA Caucus calls on our state’s Congressional delegation to speak out against these discriminatory actions intended to harm the LGBT community, and let President Trump know we will not tolerate hate and exclusion,” Fleming said.