Although many men and women who worked with Trump in the past have been warning voters that he isn’t fit to be president, Melania is in an awkward position. She knows he’s unfit but… he’s still the husband and probably the father of her only child. She’s just stayed in the background despite him pressuring her to join him on the campaign trail. Yesterday, there were reports that she is finally going to do some light campaigning— attending an April 20th fundraiser for the Log Cabin Republicans at Mar-a-Lago. Michael Gold wrote that the gay Nazi on Team Trump, Richard Grenell, will also appear at the event. She’s made at least a quarter million in “speaker’s fees” from the Log Cabin Republicans although no one is saying if they’re paying her for this one. Her regular fee is $155,000 for a speech.
So far this year, the Log Cabin Republicans have endorsed 31 candidates for the House, mostly incumbents. Several are running in heavily gay districts whose opponents are members of the LGBTQ community. The Log Cabin Republicans are happy to pink-wash any Republican who asks, including homophobes like Ken Calvert, who represents Palm Springs.
On his website, Will Rollins, Calvert’s opponent, wrote that “My partner Paolo and I came of age when being gay was still a crime in many states, homophobia was pervasive, same-sex marriage was illegal and LGBTQ people were not allowed to serve openly in the military. When elected to Congress, I will be a strong champion of equality and LGBTQ rights for all Americans. My opponent Ken Calvert can’t be trusted to support the LGBTQ community. He has a 30-year track record of opposing gay rights. He voted against the Matthew Shephard Hate Crimes Bill, sought to ban gay marriage in California, voted against repealing the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Policy and voted against providing LGBTQ people with comprehensive protections against discrimination. In fact, the Human Rights Campaign has given him a ‘zero’ rating for his terrible lack of support of LGBTQ issues. He has voted to allow employers to continue to fire people for being gay, and to allow landlords to continue to evict tenants for being gay. He also joined the lawsuit to overturn Roe, which eviscerated women’s equality and put countless other decisions protecting LGBTQ rights at risk. We cannot trust him with basic human rights.”
My Equality and LGBTQ Commitments:
Support passage of the Equality Act, which would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, healthcare, education and public accommodations;
Protect the right to same-sex marriage that is under threat from a conservative Supreme Court that recently stripped women of their reproductive rights;
Support increased funding for HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment and research;
Support a comprehensive federal response to address anti-transgender discrimination; and
Oppose efforts that allow individuals to use private religious beliefs to discriminate against LGBTQ people in the public sphere.
It is time for Riverside County to have a congressional representative who will work to secure full LGBTQ rights and protections. Our country, economy, military and society is strongest when all of our citizens are protected from discrimination and have an equal opportunity to contribute, succeed and thrive.
Jamie McLeod-Skinner is also a member of the LGBTQ community— and a Blue America endorsed candidate. The Log Cabin Republicans have endorsed her opponent, Lori Chavez-DeRemer. Jamie told me that “If Lori supported the LGBTQ community, she would be a co-sponsor of the EQUALITY Act; she doesn't, and she isn't. Any claims she makes about being an ally are proven false by how she votes. Here in Central Oregon, LGBTQ students protested her at a speaking event because of the harm she causes our community. With the safety of our families at stake in this election, the LGBTQ community should unite in retiring Lori from the House.”
