Trump Meets with Anti-Gay Leader Jerry Falwell Jr., Equality Federation Responds

Equality Federation condemned President-elect Donald Trump for meeting with one of the nation's most prominent anti-LGBTQ leaders, Jerry Falwell Jr., to discuss a potential position in his Administration's Department of Education.

"Jerry Falwell Jr. espouses an extreme, anti-LGBTQ worldview. It would be a danger to our community, especially youth in schools, for him to be anywhere near our nation's governmental affairs," said Fran Hutchins, Deputy Director. "It is deeply troubling that Mr. Trump is surrounding himself with the 'who's who' of homophobic, racist, and xenophobic leaders, and we must not be silent. The incoming Administration is sending a message to our youth that it is okay to bully and discriminate."

Falwell Jr. is the son of Jerry Falwell Sr., the founder of Liberty University, who is widely viewed as the instigator of the "anti-gay industry." Falwell Sr. blamed 9/11 on LGBTQ people, and once said, "AIDS is not just God's punishment for homosexuals; it is God's punishment for the society that tolerates homosexuals."

Falwell Jr. is currently the president of Liberty University. The school prohibits "homosexual behavior" and has hosted several anti-LGBTQ events, including those that promote the dangerous, unscientific practices of "conversion therapy."

Connect with us