Trump’s Transition Team Packed with Anti-LGBT Activists

[finehoe]

Ken Blackwell is a Senior Fellow at the Family Research Council (FRC), which was named a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. He also serves on the board of directors of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. In addition to supporting measures to ban marriage equality, he believes being LGBTQ is a choice, saying, "The reality is, again...that I think we make choices all the time. And I think you make good choices and bad choices in terms of lifestyle. Our expectation is that one's genetic makeup might make one more inclined to be an arsonist or might make one more inclined to be a kleptomaniac. Do I think that they can be changed? Yes."

Former Attorney General Ed Meese is a fellow at the Heritage Foundation, an organization that asserts that laws protecting LGBTQ people are not "necessary" and "weaken the marriage culture and the freedom of citizens and their associations to affirm their religious or moral convictions..." According to NBC, the conservative Heritage Foundation is helping vet candidates for Trump's Cabinet. Meese supported Indiana's disastrous religious refusal law passed under Vice President-Elect Mike Pence, saying it "has nothing to do with refusing to serve gay people." Meese has also said that marriage equality "shows how the culture has deteriorated over two centuries."

Kay Cole James, president and founder of the Gloucester Institute, is a former senior vice president of the Family Research Council and a former director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. She worked in the administrations of both George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush. The Advocate reported that in her book Transforming America from the Inside Out, James compared LGBTQ people to drug addicts, alcoholics, adulterers, or "anything else sinful."

http://www.hrc.org/

[spuwho]

Only 3 people are on the transition team?

What constitutes "packed"?

Who else is on the team, I would like to know.

How many bigots does it take to screw in a light bulb before it becomes a hate group?

[vicupstate]

Geez, I didn't realize Ed Meese was still alive. He is 85 years old.

Ken Blackwell is scum. He probably flipped Ohio from Kerry to Bush with the hours (and hours) long voting lines that he created there.

[finehoe]

What constitutes "packed"?

More than none.

[spuwho]

Finehoe, I dont see these people you reference listed.


Chairman

Vice President-elect and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence

Vice Chairs

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich
Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani
Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions

Members of Presidential Transition Team Executive Committee

Pennsylvania Rep. Lou Barletta
Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi
New York Rep. Chris Collins
Jared Kushner, Trump son-in-law and publisher of New York Observer
Pennsylvania Rep. Tom Marino
Rebekah Mercer, hedge fund heiress
Steven Mnuchin, Trump campaign finance chairman and former Goldman Sachs partner
California Rep. Devin Nunes, chairman of the House intelligence committee
Anthony Scaramucci, founder of SkyBridge Capital
Peter Thiel, venture capitalist and co-founder of PayPal 
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus
Trump Campaign CEO Stephen K. Bannon
Trump children Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump
Executive Director

Rick Dearborn, chief of staff to Sen. Sessions

[BridgeTroll]

Really?  Just stop it already with the nazi bs...

[spuwho]

spuwho, Mike Pence, Pam Biondi, Ben Carson, Newt Gingrich, Michael Flynn and Jeff Sessions are all pretty famous for their homophobia and in a couple of cases outright anti gay stances.

Looking at this objectively, I would say this was packed.

Christie, Giuliani, Ivanka and Thiel being exceptions, but Christie has apparently drifted out of things, according to the press.

I was wondering who was financing Trump's analytics and now I know. Interesting is she came on through Ted Cruz.

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-11-11/rebekah-mercer-daughter-of-major-donor-named-to-trump-role

As far as the homophobia scoreboard goes, I wasn't really tracking it. Just like I wasn't tracking the race of the team, the religion of the team, whether they were Gators or Seminoles, east coast or west coast.  I am examining their skill level and what talent & capabilities they bring to the table. (or just the hard cash)

Trump supposedly has a knack for recruiting talent, I am looking to see who is getting picked up and why.

[finehoe]

Finehoe, I dont see these people you reference listed.

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2016/11/10/trump-names-ken-blackwell-to-transition-team.html

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/meese-trump-transition-228694

http://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-trump-transition-team-planning-first-months-in-office-1478699360

[spuwho]

Finehoe, I dont see these people you reference listed.

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2016/11/10/trump-names-ken-blackwell-to-transition-team.html

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/meese-trump-transition-228694

http://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-trump-transition-team-planning-first-months-in-office-1478699360

Meese appears to be a political move to get some on the right to lay off. He still isn't listed as a member, so he may be engaged as a consultant. As close as we will see to getting a Ted Cruz type, without all the baggage of Ted Cruz.

Blackwell is a political favor pure and simple.  He helped deliver Ohio.

Gay marriage is the law of the land confirmed by the SCOTUS.  If you think these guys can roll back the clock, its too late. What is done is done.

[finehoe]

Gay marriage is the law of the land confirmed by the SCOTUS.  If you think these guys can roll back the clock, its too late. What is done is done.

Being the law of the land hasn't stopped them with Roe v Wade.  I wish I could be as sanguine as you.

[Charles Hunter]

Tomorrow's SCOTUS can reverse decisions by yesterday's SCOTUS. In the 60 Minutes interview,  Trump said he would appoint Justices that reflect his "pro life" stance, and said that overturning Roe v Wade would not ban abortion, but would leave it to the states to decide. My conclusion., he wants to have a Supreme Court that will overturn Roe.

When asked about Marriage Equality,  he said that SCOTUS had decided that, it is the law of the land, so no reason to discuss it. He also said he had no problem with it. All it takes is someone to claim that same sex marriage harms them in some way, to bring suit, and have it get to the Supreme Court.

Same path a challenge to Roe would have to take. Conservative groups are poised to make such challenges,  when SCOTUS is more favorable.

[spuwho]

Gay marriage is the law of the land confirmed by the SCOTUS.  If you think these guys can roll back the clock, its too late. What is done is done.

Being the law of the land hasn't stopped them with Roe v Wade.  I wish I could be as sanguine as you.

Gay marriage has been accepted by much of the country now socially. Its unlikely they will take up that banner.  I would say its not anything to get morose over.

[Tacachale]

Gay marriage is the law of the land confirmed by the SCOTUS.  If you think these guys can roll back the clock, its too late. What is done is done.

Being the law of the land hasn't stopped them with Roe v Wade.  I wish I could be as sanguine as you.

Gay marriage has been accepted by much of the country now socially. Its unlikely they will take up that banner.  I would say its not anything to get morose over.

I doubt there's much anyone could do about marriage now. It passed the Supreme Court with Scalia, who was as conservative as anybody Trump could pick. A considerable majority of the public is in favor, and the percentage grows every year. The gap between supporters and opponents is much wider than with abortion, and those who benefit from it (LGBT people and their families) are much more visible and vocal. There's only so much any politician or court can do against that.

I'm more worried about some of the other issues. The proposed laws enabling people to discriminate against LGBT people based on "religious liberty" for one. State recognition of conversion "therapy" and lots of opportunities for legalized trans discrimination. Given that Trump has surrounded himself with a number of people who are genuinely anti-gay - not the least of whom is the vice president - there are a lot of opportunities for trouble even if same-sex marriage is safe.

[spuwho]

Gay marriage has been accepted by much of the country now socially. Its unlikely they will take up that banner.  I would say its not anything to get morose over.

WOW. are you kidding? Is that bubble you live in keeping you warm as the weather is turning cold.

Mike Pence, and much of the far right Trump has surrounded himself with, do not give a single shit. They are personally offended by gay people and wish they could convert all of them.  Nothing is too minor.  These are people arguing over fucking bathrooms for God's sake.  Gay marriage is certainly in their crosshairs and to think otherwise is naive at best.

Bathroom stuff will go on a few years longer because there is little case law and government funding mandates will take years and years before everyone catches up.

Peter Theil, at last check, does care and I dont think he would  even be involved if he felt it would undermine him personally.

No, I am not naive about it either, just think that there are other things the Trump Administration will be pursuing, and that is not one of them.

[spuwho]

Peter Theil, at last check, does care and I dont think he would  even be involved if he felt it would undermine him personally.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Wait...wait...you were actually serious when you typed this? You were actually serious that a single billionaire who is quite clearly a self-loathing gay man and who threw his support behind a party that hates gay people is somehow going to stop the party from ram rodding through disgusting, backwards legislation or court rulings? Jesus, the mental gymnastics republicans do to convince themselves they haven't done something terrible is unbelievable.

So basically you are calling Peter Theil the 'Uncle Tom' of the gay community?

BTW: I am glad I am keeping you so entertained.