The recognition, however, came in the form of a tweet, not an official proclamation.
“As we celebrate LGBT Pride Month and recognize the outstanding contributions LGBT people have made to our great Nation, let us also stand in solidarity with the many LGBT people who live in dozens of countries worldwide that punish, imprison or even execute individuals on the basis of sexual orientation,” Trump messaged his supporters. “My administration has launched a global campaign to decriminalize homosexuality and invite all nations to join us in this effort!”
Earlier this year, U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, the highest-ranking openly gay person in the Trump administration, launched a global initiative to decriminalize same-sex relationships. The effort seemed aimed at Iran.
(Related: Trump administration launches global push to decriminalize homosexuality.)
The tweet makes Trump the first Republican president in history to recognize LGBT Pride month. However, Trump issued a number of official proclamations on Friday, but not one recognizing Pride. Proclamations issued recognize the oceans, African-American music, national homeownership, the great outdoors and Caribbean-American heritage.
Trump, who said during the 2016 election that he would be a better “friend” to the LGBT community than his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, has repeatedly undermined the rights of LGBT people, including prohibiting transgender individuals from serving in the military and asserting in legal briefs that LGBT people are not covered under existing civil rights laws. Trump has also signaled his opposition to the Equality Act, a federal bill which would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest LGBT rights advocate, criticized the president’s recognition of Pride, calling it a “gross hypocrisy, with an emphasis on gross.”
“You can’t celebrate Pride and constantly undermine our rights – including attacking #TransHealth, discharging #TransTroops, refusing to protect LGBTQ youth, and cozying up to dictators who brutalize & marginalize LGBTQ people,” Griffin said in a twee
