Skip to main content

Home News News World

Donald Trump says he’s ‘fine’ with the legalisation of same-sex marriage

By Will Stroude

President-elect Donald Trump has said that he accepts same-sex marriage as law, suggesting that he won’t attempt to repeal federal marriage equality laws, ABC reports.

The businessman’s election victory last week cast doubt over the future of a number of LGBT rights and freedoms, including same-sex marriage; over the course of his campaign he had said he would appoint Supreme Court judges who would be committed to overturning the nation-wide ruling on same-sex marriage.

However, the hate-mongering Republican has seemingly dialled back on his oppositon, describing marriage equality as a “settled” issue in an an interview with CBS, which aired on Sunday (November 13).

“It’s law,” Trump argued during the segment. “It was settled in the Supreme Court. I mean it’s done.”

He continued: “These cases have gone to the Supreme Court. They’ve been settled. And I’m – I’m fine with that.”

While his views on same-sex marriage have been cautiously welcomed by some campaigners, there has been no indication that Trump will U-turn on what is arguably a much greater threat to LGBT people – ‘First Amendment Defence Act,’ which seeks to legalise discrimination against minorities to ‘protect’ people’s religious freedoms. And as well as his own questionable views on LGBT issue, Trump’s presidential transition team is already said to contain several anti-LGBT figures.

While it seems the former Celebrity Apprentice star is ready to accept the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision on equal marriage, however, the incoming leader of the free world remains set against its historic Roe v Wade ruling from 1973, which upheld the right to abortion.

Asked if he wanted to appoint a supreme court justice who wanted to overturn the ruling, Trump replied: “So look, here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to – I’m pro-life. The judges will be pro-life.”

He added: “Having to do with abortion – if it ever were overturned, it would go back to the states. So it would go back to the states.”

More stories:
What will a Trump presidency mean for LGBT people?
This gay dad has a powerful message to friends and family who voted Trump