TIMOTHY ROSENBERGER
Tim identifies as “mostly white” with heritage including Alsatian German, Belgian, French, Iroquois, Irish and Italian. He is gay and a Lutheran.
With Donald Tump in the White House, is America still the land of the free?
Tim: America is more free now than ever. He is limiting business regulation in ways that are spurring innovation. He has shattered an entrenched ruling societal elite that was fast making America’s social hierarchy distressingly similar to those of our old allies, such as the UK. The US has, historically, been a place where anyone can advance through hard work and education but, in recent years, the escalators have broken. Children of educated and successful parents find success while opportunities for those with less fortunate backgrounds are limited. President Trump is helping spur blue collar opportunities in manufacturing and construction. He has brought economic hope and freedom to countless forgotten Americans and that makes the US freer than it has been in some time.
Do you feel safe?
Very safe, and appreciate the American right to bear arms. There are many LGBT gun organisations that offer training related to safe firearm ownership and self-defence. These groups empower themselves against the potential perpetrators of anti-LGBT hate crimes. I also feel that I have a government that will protect LGBTI Americans from attacks from outside our country. Do you think LGBTI civil rights will be rolled back under a Trump presidency?
No. I expect the opposite. Trump is a liberal New Yorker on the issue of LGBTI rights. His organisation has long employed LGBTI people. He is the first Republican candidate to have ever spoken directly to the LGBTI community from the convention podium. Most strikingly, no past US President has come into office embracing gay marriage. President Trump has specifically said he is preserving the ban on LGBTI discrimination within federal hiring. He is the most pro-LGBT President this nation has ever had.
Are you concerned that some immigrant Americans may be sent back to their country of origin?
I anticipate that some people will have to return to their countries of origin. Past administrations, like this one, have maintained a policy of deporting immigrants who are in the US illegally and have committed crimes. I expect this process to be conducted effectively under President Trump. I also expect him to remove those who are law abiding but who entered the US illegally.
Has Trump galvanized LGBTI people to fight for and protect civil rights?
The LGBTI communities in many US cities are unified in their antipathy for President Trump. The most “in the scene” LGBTI persons are united in opposing the President. These groups are by far the loudest and donate a great deal of money to professional LGBTI activism organisations. These people create the appearance of a wall of anti-Trump sentiment. The reality is… Trump did very well with LGBTI voters. For LGBTI persons of faith, those engaged in business, and those living outside the major US cities, Trump was likely their candidate. His election means virtually nothing for LGBTI civil rights.
What do you think the LGBTI community can do to influence a positive outcome?
The LGBTI community should pull together around groups like Log Cabin Republicans to push for advances under a Trump administration. We should be looking to the executive branch to push ENDA [Employment Non-Discrimination Act] through congress. I believe he would be amenable to its passage. The real opportunities with President Trump lie abroad. He has no problem telling off other countries for bad behaviour. He takes a dim view of cultural differences he views as backward (for example, anti-LGBT laws in African and Middle Eastern nations), and is happy to impose US cultural norms on others. He will work to eliminate ISIS and forces of Islamic terror. This will save the lives of thousands of LGBTI persons and seems of greater importance than reducing the few social barriers still faced by LGBTI Americans.
He is the most proLGBT President this nation has ever had.