People Who Think the Gay Community Isn’t Also Under Threat Are Naive. Here’s Why.
Spencer Macnaughton | Uncloseted Media Weekly Newsletter
I recently attended a bougie LGBTQ networking event that was attended predominantly by white gay men.
After I told one guy there that I run an LGBTQ-focused nonprofit newsroom, he proceeded to tell me that “all media is fake.” Then, without me telling him anything about Uncloseted Media, he looked me in the eye and—with a mix of condescension and aggression—said, “Tell me one thing Trump has done that makes him anti-gay? Don’t you remember Hillary voted against gay marriage?”
There’s a huge subsection of LGB folks who, frankly, don’t care about trans and nonbinary rights. People who feel like it’s not their fight, and so it doesn’t affect their lives.
That’s… fine… I guess.
But it’s so naive.
While Trump himself may not have a massively anti-gay track record, many of his most trusted confidantes and folks in his administration do. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has said homosexuality is the dark harbinger of chaos. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has said, “The movement to legitimize the homosexual lifestyle and homosexual marriages is strong and must be vigorously opposed.” The list goes on.
What’s more is that these folks are intrinsically connected to Southern Poverty Law Center-designated anti-LGBTQ hate groups, like the Alliance Defending Freedom and the Family Research Council, who advocate in favor of conversion therapy and Don’t Say Gay laws and against gay marriage and pro-gay adoption laws.
Having individuals with these perspectives in power has real-time consequences. Last week, the Texas legislature passed a bill that bans LGBTQ school clubs, including Gay Straight Alliances. Hegseth ordered the military to strip gay icon Harvey Milk’s name from a ship, with one military official saying the Defense Secretary intentionally did this at the beginning of Pride Month. And the Trump administration has ended funding for the Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development, a move that researchers say will likely set efforts to end HIV globally back by a decade.
As all of this happens, my advice to the gay guy from the bougie networking event would be: Stay alert, read as many news sources as you can (including us!) and remain acutely aware of the backgrounds and track records of the folks you believe are only coming for the trans and nonbinary community. Because if you follow the truth, it’s crystal clear that the community as a whole is under attack.
We’ll be at WorldPride DC all weekend! Come find us and say hi at our table.
We won the 2025 NIHCM Awards in Journalism and Research for this article about HIV prevention access. Huge congrats to Sam Donndelinger and our partners at Fierce Healthcare.
Democrats Lash Out as Legislature Bans School Clubs that Support Gay Teens (The Texas Tribune)
Tensions flared and the debate turned personal as Republicans said their bill empowered parents and denied predictions that the ban will endanger children.
White House: ‘No Plans’ for Trump to Issue Pride Month Proclamation (The Hill)
President Trump has “no plans” to issue a proclamation recognizing June as Pride Month or dedicate it to any other group or cause, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday.
Hegseth Orders Navy to Rename Ship Honoring Gay Rights Activist Harvey Milk (ABC News)
A DOD official said the decision's timing, during Pride month, was intentional.
US Judge Rules Prisons Must Provide Gender-Affirming Care for Trans People (The Guardian)
Ruling in Washington comes despite executive order signed by Donald Trump that targeted funding for such care
D.C. Police Take Back Plan to Close off Dupont Circle During Pride (The Washington Post)
The D.C. police chief had requested to close the park off, citing disorderly behavior in past years.
Over the next week, be on the lookout for new Uncloseted reporting:
🆕 Twelve years after Jason Collins made history as the first openly gay man in a major U.S. pro sports league, the expected wave of change never came. Today, there are zero openly gay athletes playing in the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS. What’s keeping the closet door locked in men’s sports—and who’s holding the key? From coaching culture to league politics and the pressure of endorsement deals, this investigation looks at why male athletes still feel they have everything to lose by being out, and what it will take to change that.
🆕 As Pride month is in full swing, many companies are backing away from DEI. We previously reported on biblically responsible investing firms that are pressuring companies to ditch DEI. But have you heard of the conservative think tank, the National Center for Public Policy Research? Tom Sayers has the story.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to email me with questions, complaints and story ideas!
Spencer Macnaughton, Editor-In-Chief — spencer@unclosetedmedia.com
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