In my capacity as Executive Director for African HRC we are commenting on the Donald J. Trump 2018 State of the Union address to a joint session of the United States Congress as follows: Noting several Democratic members of Congress chose to boycott the session so as not to normalize this United States presidency, most Democratic representatives wore black to support the #MeToo movement, with Melania Trump in all white, a stark contrasting unsupportive statement, this was no ordinary State of the Union #SOTU! We find the speech laced with nuances, innuendos and some instances explicit statements that were both divisive and offensive, especially to our immigrant community. Much of what a decent president should have said was missing with regard to several aspect of our state of the Union. As an organization which provides advocacy and humanitarian assistance to LGBTI refugees and asylum seekers as well as communities around the world, we were disturbed by how Trump seemed to attempt pit Americans against immigrant communities. The normalizing of this man as president by his own party and even by some Democrats is of great concern, as we believe America is already in a serious constitutional crisis, headed for worse, where many aspects of our Democracy are under threat. We would like to note that no matter how difficult the terrain, we will continue to fight for the right to safety and happiness for all, to include our global constituents, as they seek refuge from persecution, and all the while we are well able to continue to nurture our American spirit, as we consider all LGBTI people part of our global and American family.
