Nancy Pelosi Rips Into Trump At GLAAD Gala
Count House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is among those “appalled” by President Donald Trump’s decision to ban transgender recruits from enlisting in the military.
During an appearance at the 2017 GLAAD San Francisco Gala Saturday, Pelosi (D-Calif.) delivered an impassioned speech in which she took Trump to task over his stance on LGBTQ issues, including the controversial trans ban.
“I was appalled when President Trump decided to ban transgender men and women from serving in our armed forces,” she told the crowd, as seen in the video above. “It’s a move that hurts and humiliates the thousands of Americans who serve in our military with strength and courage. All of us must respect than transgender Americans who have the patriotism and the bravery to serve our country in uniform must be respected.”
Pelosi, 77, didn’t stop there, noting that the queer community, among other minority groups, was “facing new assaults on their rights from the White House” on a regular basis.
“People say to me over time, ‘Oh, you’re from San Francisco, it’s easy for you to be so tolerant,’” she said. “‘Tolerant’ is a condescending word to me. This isn’t about tolerance. This is about respect. This is about taking pride.”
She added, “In the last decade, we’ve made tremendous progress, but since the election, we’ve seen that the journey is far from over. Prejudice is boldly showing its ugly face.”
Pelosi’s remarks echo those she made in July, immediately after Trump surprised the Pentagon and announced the ban on trans service members in a series of tweets.
.@POTUS has shown his conduct is driven not by honor, decency, or national security, but by prejudice. https://t.co/PHTlXMhEJg pic.twitter.com/X9rYhn5Jic
— Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) July 26, 2017
The president’s decision was “driven not by honor, dignity or national security,” she wrote at the time, “but by raw prejudice.”
Catch the latest in LGBTQ news by subscribing to the Queer Voices newsletter.
Also on HuffPost
Evan, Spring Lake, Michigan, 2013
Alex, Austin, Texas, 2014
Jamie and Kaylee, San Diego, California, 2014
Travis Green, Okinawa, Japan, 2014
Jenn, Ft. Lewis, Washington, 2014
Brynn, Dayton, Ohio, 2013
Hunter, Killeen, Texas, 2013
Jamie, Dayton, Ohio, 2013
Landon, Aspen Hill, Maryland, 2014
Laila, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2013
Logan, Altus, Oklahoma, 2013
Raki, New York, New York, 2014
Jake, Louisville, Kentucky, 2013
Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.