California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom went on a Twitter rant against Donald Trump on Monday, attacking the presumptive Republican nominee for his abominable record on LGBT rights.
Newsom was seemingly inspired to take on Trump after conservatives fighting to gut the GOP platform of its homophobic planks admitted defeat on the first day of the Republican National Convention.
The platform says that all children deserve to be raised by a mom and a dad who are married, defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman, endorses anti-trans bathroom bills, and voices support for ex-gay conversion therapy.
PREVIOUSLY: 2016 GOP Platform Lays It Bare: Today's Republican Party is an Anti-LGBT Hate Group
Newsom, a longtime LGBT rights advocate, first rose to national fame in 2004 as Mayor of San Francisco when he started marrying same-sex couples at City Hall.
Newsom began his tweet storm by characterizing the GOP's 2016 platform as anti-LGBT and out of step with the nation's mores.
Marriage equality is the law of the land (over 60% agree) and GOP doubles down with most anti-gay platform in its history.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
GOP will say "We have nothing against LGBT comm." Yeah, you just don't want them to get married, adopt children, not get fired,be happy etc.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
It's official: most anti-gay platform in 162 years has been adopted by RNC/GOP.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
Newsom also went after Trump's response to the Orlando massacre at gay nightclub Pulse. Shortly after that attack, Trump said he had the support of “the gays.” Since that time, polling has shown just the opposite to be true. Newsom accused Trump of making the attack all about him, failing to do anything for the LGBT community and actually advocating for policies that would harm LGBT Americans.
I didn't believe you would protect anyone but yourself, but remember when you made Orlando tragedy all about you? https://t.co/7ZOZzx8GSo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
What have you done since Orlando? Have you even tried to fake something? Send some ties, steaks or water? https://t.co/7ZOZzwR60Q
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
You didn't do anything, because you never do anything. You used the death of 49 people to attack your opponent. https://t.co/7ZOZzx8GSo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
This tweet below, 2 days after over 100 people were killed and you used it to attack your opponent. https://t.co/7ZOZzx8GSo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
Parents were making funeral arrangements, they were finding out their kids were closeted, but no it's all about you. https://t.co/7ZOZzx8GSo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
You used a tragedy to lie and make promises you weren't going to keep. So how have you protected LGBT ppl since? https://t.co/7ZOZzx8GSo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
You tried to make islam/terrorism the threat to LGBT community instead of what is really a threat. You, Your VP, GOP https://t.co/7ZOZzx8GSo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
You didn't think to ask LGBT community what they needed, what they felt threatened by, did you? https://t.co/7ZOZzx8GSo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
Of course you wouldn't have asked what the community needed, its always a soliloquy with you, one way street. https://t.co/7ZOZzx8GSo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
Reminder: 2 days after over 100 people were shot in cold blood, you used their safety to attack your opponent. https://t.co/7ZOZzx8GSo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
Newsom went on to eviscerate Trump for picking Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate. Pence notoriously signed into law the Religious Freedom Restoration Act which legalized anti-LGBT discrimination in the Hoosier state.
You picked as your VP a man who has dedicated his life to figuring out ways to discriminate against the community https://t.co/7ZOZzx8GSo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
You picked a man who wanted to take money from hiv/aids programs and give it to conversion therapy. Torture. Abuse. https://t.co/7ZOZzx8GSo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
Reminder, your VP once wanted to take away money from hiv/aids funding and give it to conversion therapy – sick https://t.co/7ZOZzx8GSo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
RELATED: Mike Pence Wanted to Use HIV/AIDS Money to Fund Conversion Therapy
Newsom also attacked Trump for allowing the GOP to adopt such strident anti-LGBT language in its platform.
What else did you do to protect LGBT community? You didn't do a thing about the GOP platform. It's filled with hate https://t.co/7ZOZzx8GSo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
The most anti-lgbt platform in the history of the GOP. That's saying a lot, I would have thought in past 12 years https://t.co/7ZOZzx8GSo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
You had the first openly lesbian GOP platform member begging for the committee to at least say gay people exist https://t.co/7ZOZzx8GSo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
she couldn't get that done. You know its amazing, you have no problem asserting control when it helps you https://t.co/7ZOZzx8GSo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
Newsom really laid into Trump and the GOP for endorsing gay conversion therapy.
So what's in the platform? Let's put aside, for a second, the fact that your party wants to destroy LGBT families, https://t.co/7ZOZzx8GSo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
In the GOP platform (your party Donald) parents should be able to subject their kids to torture/abuse https://t.co/7ZOZzx8GSo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
I'm not being hyperbolic.it's called conversion therapy. Telling a LGBT kid they need to change/will never be happy https://t.co/7ZOZzx8GSo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
Taking a kid that can't even vote + sending them off somewhere or taking them to a creepy office to be tortured https://t.co/7ZOZzx8GSo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
Kids who go through conversion are 8 times more likely to be suicidal. 6 times more likely to be severely depressed https://t.co/7ZOZzx8GSo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
This is your protection? You're sick. Your party just spit in the face of every single kid who is sad and confused https://t.co/7ZOZzx8GSo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
Conversion therapy is so bad that the American Med Association, American Psych association say its dangerous https://t.co/7ZOZzx8GSo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
5 states and DC have banned conversion therapy. And all Supreme Court challenges to laws upheld. https://t.co/7ZOZzx8GSo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
Think about the kind of company you are keeping, your GOP pals went to court to get their right to torture back https://t.co/7ZOZzx8GSo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
There's something fundamentally wrong with a person who can put in child torture into platform + still sleep @ night https://t.co/7ZOZzx8GSo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
You can say what you want to me, @elizabethforma @HillaryClinton – we can take it, but how dare you do this to kids https://t.co/7ZOZzx8GSo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 18, 2016
[Top photo via Wikimedia Commons]
