Local Advocate Speaks Out About Political Embrace of Anti-LGBTQ Hostility

Donald Trump kicked off his second presidential term with dozens of executive orders, many of which focus on hot-button culture war issues, from diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to abortion and transgender rights.

Local LGBTQ rights advocate John Steven Hellman has voiced grave concerns over the escalating political attacks targeting the LGBTQ community, particularly transgender individuals, under the Trump administration.

Hellman says these executive orders aimed at stifling LGBTQ rights signals a broader and more dangerous trend, one that is not just a matter of policy, but a deep-rooted attack on the very existence of the community.

Hellman is also President of the Zimmerman-Peirce Democrats, a Democratic Club focused on honoring and defending the rights and lives of LGBTQ people in Pike County and throughout Pennsylvania.

Image: “Freedom to Be Ourselves” rally outside of the U.S. Supreme Court during U.S. v. Skrmetti oral arguments in December, 2024. (Credit: Lambda Legal/Rah Studios)