#LGBTQ: Gay & Black Reporters NOT INVITED to WH Christmas Party For the First Time in Years

The Washington Blade’s Chris Johnson

As promised, Trump is doing SO much for the LGBT community! For one, he’s freeing up the holiday schedule of Chris Johnson, the chief political and White House reporter for the Washington Blade. Over Thanksgiving, Johnson learned and later told The Independent,

“My first reaction was I assumed it must have been an oversight…

It is consistent with the White House press secretary not calling on me during the on-camera press briefings.”

He said that he had been called on just twice in the last six months.

After emailing White House officials, he was passed between numerous spokespeople, none of which could answer his question. He believes that the issue over the invite is

“just kind of consistent with the policy of the administration to exclude LGBTQ people”.

American Urban Radio’s April Ryan

April Ryan, the White House correspondent and DC bureau chief for American Urban Radio Networks, who is black, was also excluded from the invite list. Ms Ryan told the Washington Post of this year’s party.

“I don’t think I was overlooked. I think they don’t like me. For whatever reason, they have disdain for me.”

Ryan had been invited every year for the past 20 years.

Reporters from the New York Times, Washington Post and Politico have been invited as usual but CNN is boycotting the event this year.

A spokesperson for FLOTUS said:

“As with Christmas parties in past administrations, this is off the record.

This is not meant to be a news event, rather, it is an opportunity for the media and their guests to enjoy a reception at the White House this Christmas season.”

SOME reporters get to enjoy it, anyway.

Trump is consistent in ignoring the lesbian, gay, bi and trans communities. He gave a statement to mark World AIDS Day that somehow does not feature a single mention of the LGBT community. It read,

“Today, on World AIDS Day, we honor those who have lost their lives to AIDS, we celebrate the remarkable progress we have made in combatting this disease, and we reaffirm our ongoing commitment to end AIDS as a public health threat.

Since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, more than 76 million people around the world have become infected with HIV and 35 million have died from AIDS.

As of 2014, 1.1 million people in the United States are living with HIV. On this day, we pray for all those living with HIV, and those who have lost loved ones to AIDS.”

Unlike Hillary Clinton, Trump did not release any policy information regarding HIV/AIDS prevention during his campaign, prompting concern about funding early on.

To quote Maude…