CLEVELAND — Donald Trump promised to protect the LGBTQ community in his Thursday speech at the Republican National Convention, seemingly the first time the party’s presidential nominee has addressed the community from the convention podium.
The newly minted GOP nominee looked back at last month’s mass shooting in an Orlando gay nightclub that killed 49 people.
{mosads}“Only weeks ago, in Orlando, Fla., 49 wonderful Americans were savagely murdered by an Islamic terrorist. This time, the terrorist targeted our LGBTQ community,” Trump said.
The shooter had called emergency services and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria in the midst of the attack.
Trump promised the LGBTQ community — his previously released remarks left off the “Q,” which can stand for “queer,” “questioning,” or both — that he’ll work to protect them from future terror attacks.
“As your president, I will do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens from the violence and oppression of a hateful foreign ideology,” he said.
As the crowd applauded, Trump deviated from his prepared remarks to note the gravity of the reaction.
“As a Republican, I’m so happy to hear you cheering for what I just said,” he said.
The mention appears to be the first time a GOP nominee addressed the LGBTQ community at a convention.
Thursday’s session included speeches by both Peter Thiel, an openly gay Silicon Valley venture capitalist, and Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, a vehement opponent of gay marriage.
Trump has already spoken more favorably of the gay community than previous GOP nominees as the party wrestles with its stance on the issue.
A more moderate wing of the party, promoted by megadonor Paul Singer, had attempted to convince convention delegates to water down the party platform’s stance on LGBTQ issues, but the effort failed to gain traction.