Gay backers of Donald Trump say he is blind to sexuality. Not everyone agrees. For many gay rights activists, President Trump’s first five months in office have provided ample evidence of his antipathy toward their community, whether it be his administration’s sustained attacks on transgender people, its bans on books with gay subject matter or its planned cuts to suicide hotlines for gay youth.
Members of Mr. Trump’s administration and his supporters have regularly trafficked in hateful rhetoric and employed stereotypes about members of the L.G.B.T.Q. community, suggesting that they lack honesty or morality, or have Marxist leanings, while officially ignoring Pride Month.
Yet, if you ask gay supporters of the president, you will hear a remarkably different message: of a man indifferent to sexuality who has hosted same-sex weddings and hoisted a rainbow flag; who has appointed a series of gay ambassadors and high-ranking gay officials; who has attracted a range of deep-pocketed gay backers and outspoken online surrogates. And, of course, who has been a steadfast Village People superfan.
Gay Trump supporters say that the economy and immigration are driving forces in their embrace of the president, mirroring shifts in traditional Democratic blocs like Latinos, Asian Americans and Black men, groups that have sometimes chafed at being considered monolithic in their political beliefs. But they also cite Mr. Trump’s “anti-woke” campaign, including his inflammatory and divisive condemnation of the transgender movement.
Those statements — including an oft-run campaign ad that accused Kamala Harris of being for “they/them,” while Mr. Trump was for “you” — have been applauded by some gay influencers, who say the concentration on transgender issues in their community has come at the expense of gay and lesbian concerns. Gay conservatives say that opinion is also quietly held by some of their gay liberal friends.
Shortly before the election, JD Vance predicted that the Republican ticket would win the “normal gay guy vote” because of the left’s embrace of the transgender movement. “They just wanted to be left the hell alone,” Mr. Vance told Joe Rogan.
Charles Moran, the former president of the Log Cabin Republicans, the leading group for gay conservatives, argued that Democrats and traditional gay rights groups had encouraged a sense of vulnerability in their community, despite significant wins in recent decades. He cited legalizing same-sex marriage and gays being able to openly serve in the military, advancements — it should be noted — that were backed by Democrats, and often opposed by Republicans.