Tweet by GLAAD President and CEO: It’s time to show leadership, @realdonaldtrump. Your silence is costing human lives.

NEW YORK – GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, today voiced outrage over President Trump’s continued silence on the attacks against LGBTQ men in Chechnya – even as a list of victims have been released to the media.

According to reports, about 27 men are believed to have been killed during the anti-LGBTQ purge that has taken place in Russia-controlled Chechnya. The White House informed The Washington Blade this crisis did not come up in last week’s meeting between Presidents Trump and Vladimir Putin during the G20 Summit in Germany. Prior to that meeting, GLAAD, The Council for Global Equality, and many others released a letter calling on the Trump Administration to address the anti-LGBTQ attacks in Chechnya.

Tweet by Sarah Kate Ellis on July 11, 2017

Tweet by GLAAD on July 11, 2017

Politicians and human rights activists across the globe, including British Prime Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and former Vice President of the United States Joe Biden, have all condemned the horrific violence in Chechnya. Yet still, President Trump has chosen to remain silent.

Since the news broke about the anti-LGBTQ attacks and reported concentration camps, GLAAD has led the charge in calling on the Trump Administration to recognize this humanitarian crisis. GLAAD called on Nikki Haley, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, to recognize the attacks and use the United States’ presence in the United Nations to condemn the attacks. After a week-long online campaign where thousands of supporters joined GLAAD’s voice, Haley denounced the violence in Chechnya. 

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