Scott Bessent, the newly confirmed Treasury Secretary, has made history as the highest-ranking openly gay official in the United States.
Despite this significant milestone, leading LGBT organizations have remained conspicuously silent on his confirmation. These groups, which include GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign, the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute, and the National LGBTQ Task Force, have yet to comment on Bessent's confirmation, which was approved by the Senate with a 68-29 vote.
According to The Washington Free Beacon, Bessent, a 62-year-old financier, now stands fifth in the line of presidential succession, surpassing Pete Buttigieg, a favorite among liberals, who held the 14th position as Bidens transportation secretary. This silence contrasts sharply with the effusive praise these groups showered on Buttigieg following his Senate confirmation on February 2, 2021. GLAAD, for instance, hailed Buttigieg's confirmation as "making history and moving our country forward," while the Human Rights Campaign described it as a "historic" event that "broke through barriers."
The lack of acknowledgment for Bessent's confirmation by these groups is a stark illustration of their double standards when it comes to gay Republicans. During President Trump's first term, GLAAD included Richard Grenell, the first openly gay official to serve in a cabinet-level position, in its GLAAD Accountability Project, which monitors "anti-LGBTQ rhetoric." The Human Rights Campaign has also criticized Grenell, dubbing him "Gaslight Grenell" and accusing him of promoting an anti-gay agenda on behalf of Trump.
These groups have been quick to celebrate the Biden administration's nomination of other gay and transgender officials, despite these individuals holding positions far below the cabinet level. For instance, the National LGBTQ Task Force expressed its delight at Biden's nomination of Rachel Levine as assistant secretary for health and human services, making her the first transgender official to be confirmed by the Senate. The LGBTQ+ Victory Institute lauded the "groundbreaking" appointments of Levine and Sam Brinton, a former Department of Energy official with a controversial past.
Among these organizations, only the Human Rights Campaign has mentioned Bessent, albeit in a less than celebratory manner. The group, in a post on Threads, a social media platform favored by liberals, urged Bessent to "step up for the community" if confirmed to office.
Bessent, the founder of the hedge fund Key Square Group, navigated his confirmation hearing with ease earlier this month. During his testimony before the Senate finance committee, Bessent, with his husband John Freeman by his side, stated that his priority at the Treasury would be to reduce federal spending. He also issued a stark warning about the country "barrelling towards an economic crisis at year's end" if Congress fails to extend Trumps 2017 tax cuts.
Bessent also adopted a firm stance against China for flooding global markets with cheap exports to avert an economic collapse. He expressed his full support for sanctions against Russian energy firms over the war in Ukraine. This conservative perspective, focusing on fiscal responsibility and a strong stance against international adversaries, is a clear departure from the liberal viewpoints often championed by the aforementioned LGBT groups.
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