In a controversial Pride Month interview, gay Trump ally and Kennedy Centre President Richard Grenell claimed that gay people have “largely achieved equality” in the U.S. and suggested that “normal gays” vote Republican.
“I think that we have largely achieved equality in this country for gays and lesbians,” Grenell told Politico’s Dasha Burns. “The gay left knows that, so they’re coming up with new gimmicks and fringe stuff to keep the money flowing and to keep the power going within the Democratic Party.”
He went on to claim that LGBTQ+ support for Democrats is declining: “You see normal gays voting for Donald Trump, for Republicans, that’s been happening for years.”
Grenell has long been a high-profile gay conservative and previously served as acting Director of National Intelligence under Donald Trump. Despite his assertions, exit polling from 2024 shows that 86% of LGBTQ+ voters backed Kamala Harris over Trump.
During the interview, Grenell also criticised Pride parades, calling them “embarrassing” and filled with “real fringe” elements. “It’s too sexual,” he said, adding: “The more I talk to normal gays about this…”
When asked what he meant by “normal gays,” Grenell replied, “Not a radical gay that says six-year-olds should have their boobs cut off or get hormone replacement therapy.”
This claim echoes widely debunked conservative talking points, as no mainstream LGBTQ+ organisation or medical body endorses gender-affirming medical treatments for children that young. The comment has been criticised for misrepresenting transgender healthcare and fuelling anti-trans rhetoric.
Grenell argued that the fight for equality in the 1990s was about proving that LGBTQ+ people were “just like” everyone else. “That’s what we were fighting for in 1993. We kept saying we’re normal, we’re just like you. We just love somebody of the same sex.”
However, advocates have pointed out that, despite legal gains such as marriage equality, many protections remain absent. The U.S. Congress has still not passed comprehensive anti-discrimination laws covering LGBTQ+ people, and the current administration has actively rolled back protections for transgender Americans, particularly in healthcare, education, and military service.
In addition, Republican-led states have advanced legislation to ban discussion of LGBTQ+ topics in schools, restrict drag performances, remove LGBTQ+ books from libraries, and severely limit access to gender-affirming care.
Meanwhile, conservative rhetoric increasingly includes false accusations that LGBTQ+ people support child abuse, along with a rise in homophobic slurs and hate speech online.
