A Progressive Pride flag flies in front of the Supreme Court. (Washington Blade Photo by Michael Key)
President Donald Trump says he would “have no problem” with removing Pride flags from private property in D.C. as conservatives ramp up anti-transgender rhetoric.
During a conversation with reporters in the Oval Office on Sept. 15, Trump said he would consider removing a “trans flag” flying on 14th Street, a major LGBTQ hub in D.C. that is home to many queer-owned businesses including bars, restaurants, and even a gay bathhouse.
The question came from Brian Glenn, White House correspondent for Real America’s Voice, a far-right media outlet, and U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.)’s boyfriend. Glenn referenced multiple Progress Pride flags waving just a mile from the White House.
Glenn framed his question by echoing right-wing pundits’ false claims about a supposed “violent” history of trans shooters. His comments came less than a week after conservative outlets, including the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post, incorrectly linked Charlie Kirk’s suspected killer to the trans community.
Since those stories were published, multiple LGBTQ organizations have condemned several media outlets for their coverage, criticizing how it contributed to inflaming anti-trans sentiment during an already dangerous time for trans people.
“A lot of people are very threatened by this flag. It means a lot of different negative things to people — violence,” Glenn said to the president.
“Well, I wouldn’t be,” Trump replied. “Then they’ll sue, and they’ll get freedom of speech stuff. So that’ll happen. But I would have no problem with it.”
Trump then pivoted to a brief rant about how burning the American flag should be illegal, despite it being a constitutionally protected act under the First Amendment. In the landmark 1989 Supreme Court case Texas v. Johnson, the justices ruled 5-4 that flag burning is a form of free speech.
The exchange came as Republican lawmakers continue to escalate their attacks on trans rights.
On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), Trump’s former White House physician, appeared on Newsmax and said this about trans people:
“We have to get them off the streets and we have to get them off the internet. We can’t let them communicate with each other. I’m all about free speech, but this is a virus, this is a cancer that’s spreading across this country that’s going to do great damage to normal, hard-working, law-abiding people.”
Delphine Luneau, a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, condemned Jackson’s remarks.
“Trans people are part of the fabric of society and just trying to live our lives, and we don’t deserve to have self-serving politicians using us as a political punching bag in service to their political ambitions,” Luneau said in a statement to the Washington Blade. “Ronny Jackson, the man who was exposed for doling out amphetamines to White House staff like candy when he was Donald Trump’s physician, should keep his disgusting and malevolent thoughts about transgender people to himself. It is a dereliction of his duty as a public servant to spread hateful lies about us, especially as escalating anti-trans hate nationally puts people in harm’s way. Instead of bringing people together, this rhetoric serves simply to drive more hate and division. Texans deserve better.”
Ash Lazarus Orr, press relations manager for Advocates for Trans Equality — an organization formed from the merger of the National Center for Transgender Equality and the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund — also condemned Trump’s remarks and the broader escalation of anti-trans rhetoric.
“Trump’s call to ban Pride flags is government censorship, plain and simple. Banning people from displaying a flag on their own property is a direct violation of free expression and an alarming attempt to silence LGBTQI+ voices,” said Orr.
“Censorship doesn’t stop with symbols. When leaders attack our flags, they send the message that trans people and our communities should be erased from public life. This kind of rhetoric fuels stigma, encourages harassment, and makes trans people less safe. We already live in a moment of rising anti-trans violence — we cannot afford political leaders adding fuel to the fire.
Trump isn’t offering solutions to real problems. Instead, he is targeting LGBTQI+ people to divide Americans and score political points. The Pride flag stands for love, resilience, and belonging. Trying to ban it reveals nothing but fear and intolerance.”
The National LGBT Media Association represents 13 legacy publications in major markets across the country with a collective readership of more than 400K in print and more than 1 million + online. Learn more here: NationalLGBTMediaAssociation.com.
