Gay Republican and President Donald Trump’s deputy press secretary Judd Deere defended the president’s anti-LGBTQ policies in an interview with Buzzfeed News.
Deere contended that the Trump administration is not anti-LGBTQ because of the fact that he, as a gay man, was able to rise through the ranks in the White House.
However, Deere admitted that while he’s not treated any differently by Trump because of his sexuality, the president may not actually be aware he’s gay.
“If he asked me, sure, I’d have the conversation with him,” Deere said. “It’s not something I hide. [But] I don’t walk into the White House every day and say, ‘I’m Judd Deere; I’m gay.’”
The Trump spokesperson said that policies that many advocates deem discriminatory, like the transgender military ban, aren’t actually.
“The president opposes discrimination and hates violence, all of that, in any form,” Deere said.
He went on to argue that transgender servicepeople “erode military readiness” and backed Trump’s opposition to the Equality Act, saying it was “filled with poison pills.”
“He’s been very clear that he’s going to protect the conscience rights of all Americans,” Deere said of Trump. “If the Democrats really want to work with us on passing the Equality Act, then they should actually work with the president.”
He also defended “religious freedom” bills that could result in Deere himself being denied service on religious grounds.
“Yeah, that’s fine,” he said of a Christian baker refusing to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple. “I’ll just go find another cake shop that will.”
When asked what Trump has done to support LGBTQ rights, Deere cited his global campaign to decriminalize homosexuality and his effort to end HIV by 2030.