Richard Grenell, Trump's Top Gay Appointee, Joins Anti-LGBTQ+ Group

Richard Grenell, formerly the highest-ranking out gay official in the Trump administration, has joined a law firm founded by Pat Robertson that has a history of opposing LGBTQ+ rights. Robertson, the virulently anti-LGBTQ+ televangelist, founded the ACLJ in 1990 to counter the work of the American Civil Liberties Union and other liberal-leaning legal nonprofits. Much of the ACLJ’s work in the 1990s and early 2000s involved fighting marriage equality.

Grenell will be special adviser for national security and foreign policy at the American Center for Law and Justice, based in Washington, D.C. He was previously acting director of national intelligence, making him the first out gay person to hold a Cabinet-level position, and before that was U.S. ambassador to Germany. He recently joined the Republican National Committee to do outreach to LGBTQ+ voters, and he addressed the Republican convention last week, spreading debunked conspiracy theories about the Obama administration spying on Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, along with other lies.

From ridiculously and errantly calling Trump the ‘most pro-gay president in history’ to now joining the anti-LGBTQ American Center for Law and Justice, it’s clear Richard Grenell has absolutely no backbone and no regard for the rights of LGBTQ people. Grenell is now propping up an organization infamous for working in Africa to criminalize homosexuality and put LGBTQ people in prison for being who they are.

In an ACLJ press release announcing his appointment, Grenell said, “I’m excited to be joining the ACLJ. I have admired their work for years. This group has been instrumental in defending religious freedom here and around the world, and upholding the Constitution. Two issues that I also consider of utmost importance, especially as faith and liberty continually fall under attack. I look forward to being a part of their incredible organization.”

The release did not mention that Grenell is gay and in a relationship with a man. Grenell also did not mention his gay identity when he addressed the Republican convention.



https://www.advocate.com/news/2020/9/01/richard-grenell-trumps-top-gay-appointee-joins-anti-lgbtq-group