Donald Trump's White House fails to recognise June as LGBT Pride Month, breaks precedent

Washington: President Donald Trump’s White House has broken a precedent by not recognising June as the LGBT Pride Month, the media reported. The decision marks an end to two of his predecessors’ tradition of officially recognising the month, CNN reported on Friday. Former president Bill Clinton first recognised it in 1999 in commemoration of the Stonewall Riots of June 1969, which many point to as the start of the modern gay rights movement. Clinton again recognised June as Pride Month in 2000, but the practice was stopped under the George W Bush administration. Former president Barack Obama picked it up again during his eight years in office, issuing June proclamations and hosting celebrations inside the White House. [caption id=“attachment_3711335” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of US president Donald Trump. AP[/caption] Although Trump did not recognise the LGBT Pride Month, he proclaimed June as the Great Outdoors Month, National Caribbean-American Heritage Month, African-American Music Appreciation Month, National Ocean Month and National Homeownership Month, CNN reported. As a candidate, Trump had promised to be different than many of his Republican peers on the campaign trail. In June 2016, he declared that he would be a better ally of the LGBT community than his opponent former secretary of state Hillary Clinton. Trump’s decision to stay silent on the matter throughout June comes at a time when record numbers of Americans support same-sex marriage. According to the Pew Research Centre, a record 62 percent Americans favour same-sex marriage.