Presidential hopeful Donald Trump shocked us all back in April when he said that he disagreed with North Carolina’s anti-LGBT HB2. But he’s apparently changed his mind, proving that he’s been a closeted homophobe/transphobe all along, no matter what anyone thought.

When he was asked in an interview with the News & Observer about HB2, which bans transgender people from using correct bathrooms and severely limits non-discrimination protections for all LGBT people, this was Trump’s lukewarm response:

“I’m going with the state. The state, they know what’s going on, they see what’s happening and generally speaking I’m with the state on things like this. I’ve spoken with your governor, I’ve spoken with a lot of people and I’m going with the state.”

Supposedly “they know what’s going on,” and yet North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed the bill after admitting he’d never met a transgender person. Trans activists — even brave trans students — asked to meet with him, and he refused. Gov. McCrory either has no idea “what’s happening” in his state with regards to trans people, or he doesn’t care about the discrimination they face.

Either way, Trump is with him.

For comparison, here’s what Trump had said about HB2 back in April, when he took a stance against the law:

“North Carolina did something that was very strong and they’re paying a big price. And there’s a lot of problems. Leave it the way it is. North Carolina, what they’re going through, with all of the business and all of the strife — and that’s on both sides — you leave it the way it is. There have been very few complaints the way it is. People go, they use the bathroom that they feel is appropriate. There has been so little trouble. And the problem with what happened in North Carolina is the strife and the economic punishment they’re taking.”

All this from a candidate who somehow believes he’s the best candidate for LGBT people this election season, despite Secretary of State Hillary Clinton‘s extensive pro-LGBT track record:

“Hillary Clinton can never claim to be a friend of the gay community as long as she continues to support immigration policies that bring Islamic extremists to our country who suppress women, gays and anyone who doesn’t share their views,” Trump said last month after a gunman killed 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. He repeated the claim days later, calling on people to “ask the gays” who is their “friend.” The question was immediately mocked on Twitter.

“The gays” have spoken, and so has Donald Trump, out of both sides of his mouth. Clearly, we’re not the supporters he thought we’d be — and we’re not a community he cares about, either.

(Image via Gino Santa Maria / Shutterstock.com)



