A photo posted on the White House Facebook page Saturday shows the spouses of world leaders attending the G7 summit in Sicily, with a caption including the name of nearly every single spouse — except for the lone man, openly gay First Gentleman of Luxembourg Gauthier Destenay, married to Prime Minister Xavier Bettel.
According to Attorney General Maura Healey, this gaffe was an obviously intentional choice, representative of President Trump’s overall agenda. “These are the values that I guess they support and want to see reflected in any way possible,” Healey told “Boston Public Radio” in an interview Tuesday. “Whether it’s in policy or regulation, whether it’s in the allocation of resources, or whether it’s in a press announcement from a meeting abroad…It shouldn’t surprise people.”
The error was fixed after immense backlash, and a White House spokesperson told Washington Blade reporter Chris Johnson the omission was an “oversight.”
“That oversight, which I’m sure was not unintentional, was the least of Trump’s missteps and problems with that trip abroad,” Healey said. “Are people surprised? We have Mike Pence as vice president. He was the most anti-choice, anti-LGBT governor in the country.”
“I think they’ve been very clear where they stand,” Healey continued, citing U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ policy to roll back protections for transgender children in schools. “Of course this what they’re about, where they’re headed,” she said.
According to Healey, this incident should be taken seriously and should keep LGBTQ+ advocates on their toes. “It shouldn’t surprise people, but, again, I hope it gives people an opportunity and a reason to continue to speak up for what I think are American values of freedom, equality, respect and valuing the dignity and worth of each person out there,” she said. “I think America, especially as it goes abroad, needs to reflect that to the world.”
To hear Attorney General Maura Healey’s full interview with Boston Public Radio, click on the audio player above.
