Army Secretary Nom Who Called Trans People 'Evil' Drops Out

LGBT organizations sounded the alarm after nominee Mark Green was discovered to have compared transgender people to ISIS.

Neal Broverman

Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.

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Neal Broverman

May 05 2017 12:14 PM EST

May 05 2017 12:35 PM EST

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It seemed sadly fitting that America would go from an openly gay Army secretary under President Obama to an Army secretary nominated by President Trump who openly denigrates LGBT people. Thankfully, under extreme pressure, Tennessee state senator Mark Green will not lead one of the branches of the nation's armed forces.

Green withdrew his nomination on Friday after groups including GLAAD and Human Rights Campaign launched a campaign against his nomination after discovering he harbored deep animus toward transgender people, a group integrated into the military under the previous -- and openly gay -- Army Secretary, Eric Fanning.

Green has said transgender people are an "evil" that must be "crushed" and compared them to terrorists; he told a Tea Party group that being transgender is a "disease." As a right-wing state senator, he encouraged Tennessee officials to defy the Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage. He also sponsored an anti-transgender bill and opposed nondiscrimination protections for LGBT people. He was also caught crudely criticizing the integration of transgender people in the military, writing on Facebook that "Mr. Obama supports transvestites in uniform but you cannot have a bible on your desk, saying it disrupts good order in the military."

"Mark Green's dangerous views and hateful comments are disqualifying for any public servant, let alone someone wishing to serve as secretary of the Army. His nomination was a clear indication of Donald Trump's lack of judgement and failure to be a president for all Americans," HRC president Chad Griffin said in a press release. "We thank the many Senators, from both parties, who expressed concerns about this nomination. HRC's millions of members and supporters stood strong against Donald Trump's nomination of Green, and we will continue to fight back against any appointment or policy made by this president that puts our community at risk."