During his campaign, Trump claimed to support the LGBTQ community. He even went so far as to promise to "protect our LGBTQ citizens from hateful foreign ideology." However, in his time in office, Trump has done little to back up his claims.
The month of June is LGBTQ Pride Month. Recall former President Obama, who declared June "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month" on the first of the month in 2009, the year he came into office. Before him, Bill Clinton had declared the month "Lesbian and Gay Pride Month." This is an extremely important progression for the community.
And yet, President Trump did not declare Pride month at all, and has yet to mention it throughout the month, despite the nationwide parades and celebration.
There has also been no discussion of legislation that would benefit the community. In fact, the biggest news story lately has been the healthcare bill that the trump administration is currently trying to pass. The bill, as written right now, will take healthcare away from 22 million citizens. Without a question, many of those affected the most harshly will be transgender individuals who may need surgical procedures and/or hormones.
Canada continues to prove itself more progressive than the U.S.
Compare Trump's silence to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who attended Toronto's Pride parade on Sunday with his family and tweeted about it.
This wouldn't be the first time Canada was ahead of the United States in the LGBTQ rights movement. Canada legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in 2005, ten years before the U.S.
As far as healthcare goes, Canada's is universal. Anyone in the country can apply for public health insurance and is covered for most healthcare services.
Additionally, their gun laws are much stricter. This may seem unrelated, but last year's mass shooting in Orlando was the deadliest in U.S. history, killing 49 people attending a gay nightclub. Canada's largest mass shooting, with 14 casualties, was in 1989.
Restrictions on guns in Canada include background checks focused on mental health and addiction, a safety course, written and practical exams, and a 60 day waiting period.
The U.S. is much more lenient and results in hundreds of millions more civilian guns.
After the Pulse shooting, and considering the widespread gun violence against LGBTQ individuals, gun laws must be considered an LGBTQ issue. President Trump has not mentioned any stricter gun policies for the country any time soon.
Trudeau is not afraid to be a vocal ally.
President Trump has yet to mention Pride month, or to speak up concretely for the community. Meanwhile, Canada's Prime Minister engaged in a flag raising ceremony earlier this month. He raised both the rainbow flag and the transgender flag above Parliament Hill.
Trudeau also gave a speech, vowing to move forward on legislation that "makes it possible to erase the convictions of Canadians who were unjustly convicted of a crime – simply for who they were, or who they loved."
And while he was marching on Sunday alongside the LGBTQ community, the New York City Pride Parade consisted largely of anti-Trump administration protesting.
Marchers held signs most commonly condemning Trumpcare.
Trudeau concluded his speech on Parliament Hill by saying, "Homophobia, biphobia and transphobia are unacceptable. In Canada we’ve come a long way, but there is still work to be done, both here in Canada and around the world."
Unfortunately for LGBTQ Americans, there's quite a lot of work to be done just next-door to Canada.
