Dan Savage says LGBT America has 'complicated' views of Donald Trump, trusts Hillary Clinton

Dan Savage likes Hillary Clinton, but isn't sure about Donald Trump
(Image credit: Late Show)

Seattle columnist and gay-rights advocate Dan Savage was on The Late Show Monday night, and Stephen Colbert asked him about the relationship between the LGBT community and Donald Trump. "It's complicated, because I think Trump is a dangerous demagogue, and a racist, and will be bad for queer people if he gets elected — he'll be bad for all Americans if he gets elected," Savage said. But while Trump has "surrounded himself with homophobes," he himself hasn't really made gay marriage and anti-LGBT discrimination part of his platform, and in fact he's made some positive comments against anti-transgender bathroom laws, Savage said. "It's kind of a mixed bag."

Colbert asked if views on Hillary Clinton were also "complicated," and Savage said no, "Hillary Clinton is good on LGBT issues, she's excellent on them." She wasn't always, Colbert said, and Savage agreed, to a point. "She wasn't always good on gay marriage, but neither was Barack Obama. When you go to somebody, go to a politician, and you say, 'Please change your mind,' when they change their mind, you don't then spend the rest of their lives going, 'F--k you for not changing your mind sooner!' You say, 'Welcome to the right side of this issue, we're glad to have you.'" Watch below. Peter Weber

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.