California GOP honors Grenell, Democrats walk off Senate floor

SACRAMENTO - California State Senate Republicans, who have previously sat out a vote declaring June LGBTQ Pride Month, and also vigorously opposed recognition of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence drag charity group, honored former U.S. Ambassador Richard Grenell in the name of Pride Month on Monday in the Senate chamber.

That recognition of Grenell caused members of the Senate Democratic caucus, Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) along with Sen. Caroline Menjivar (D-Panorama City), and Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton) to walk off the Senate floor.

former U.S. ambassador to Germany, Grenell has a history of making false and inflammatory statements. A loyal acolyte of former President Trump, Grenell has made numerous appearances on Fox News and other right-wing media outlets repeating Trump’s lies about the 0 0 election being stolen. During his appearance on Fox News Channel’s Hannity in anuary 0 , Grenell implied that the mob who stormed and trashed the U.S. Capitol might have been left-wing activists in disguise. “We need to figure out who these people are and get to the bottom of it,” he said.

GLAAD has listed some of Grenell’s more notable transgressions: tions for transgender Americans eliminate protections for trans students and ban transgender people from serving the military. The Washington Post’s fact check determined Grenell’s claims were “absurd” and awarded “four Pinocchios”—the highest rating for lies or “whoppers.” “Trump is pro-Grenell, but that doesn’t mean his administration is pro-gay, the Post reported.”

—Criticized the Equality Act, falsely claiming it would grant “special rights” to LGBTQ people and is an attack on religion. The Equality Act bans all forms of discrimination against LGBTQ people. It doesn’t give “special rights.” The Equality Act also expands protections for religious belief, providing protections for people who are discriminated against because of their religion.

Touted the launch of an initiative that claimed to push for the decriminalization of homosexuality “around the globe.” Advocates for global equality called the effort “nothing more than self-promoting Twitter photos” and “smoke and mirrors” and noted that LGBTQ discrimination actually increased around the world during the Trump administration.

—Became a special adviser for national security and foreign policy at the anti-LGBTQ American Center for Law and Justice, which was founded by anti-LGBTQ televangelist Pat Robertson.

Sen. Wiener after walking out told reporters:

“This is their way of celebrating Pride, by bringing in a guy who is truly a self-hating gay man, who takes tons of anti-LGBTQ positions,” Wiener said in an interview in the Capitol on Monday. “There are plenty of gay Republicans who don’t do the unhinged things that [Grenell] does. I’m not lumping all gay Republicans together he is a particularly vile person.”

In a tweet the Senator added: “He’s a scam artist pink-washer for Trump spreads anti-LGBTQ, anti-vax, election-denier conspiracy theories.”

Grenell who currently resides in Palm Springs, was welcomed by Senate Minority Leader Sen. Brian ones (R-Santee) and Republican Assemblymembers Bill Essayli of Corona, Tom Lackey of Palmdale and Greg Wallis of Bermuda Dunes.

A former member of the Trump administration and a

As the Republican National Committee’s senior adviser tasked with LGBTQ outreach for Trump s re-election bid, repeated the egregious lie that the Trump administration was “the most pro-gay president ever” while that same administration was, at the same time seeking to: reject recognition of sexual orientation and gender identity protections under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act fight to the Supreme Court to allow discrimination against LGBTQ workers, parents and customers ban trans girls and women from participating in sports remove health care protec-