April 26, 2018 – Despite his disqualifying claims and stances on the rights of LGBT people, the U.S. Senate today voted to confirm Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State.
Secretary Pompeo has pushed away LGBT advocacy groups while embracing extremist far-right groups like the Family Research Council. He called the historic Supreme Court case confirming the right to same-sex marriage “a shocking abuse of power” and called same-sex marriage “counter to the most profound tradition of our great nation.” While running for Congress, Pompeo opposed the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” stating it did “not reflect the values of our nation.”
Given his record, it is difficult to imagine Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will make a priority of fighting the abuses committed against LGBT people worldwide. Whether it’s the state-sponsored persecution of transgender women in Indonesia or the systematic violence and imprisonment of gay men in Chechnya, the world needs a strong presence fighting for the rights of the international LGBT community. We do not believe Mike Pompeo will play that role.
The National Center for Transgender Equality is a national social justice organization based in Washington, DC. NCTE is devoted to ending discrimination and violence against transgender people through education and advocacy on national issues of importance to transgender people. Founded in 2003, NCTE facilitates a strong and clear voice for transgender equality in our nation’s capital and around the country.