Billy Porter Slams Trump In ‘State of the Union'

While Trump delivered his State of the Union to Congress last night, Billy Porter offered a rebuttal with his “LGBTQ State of the Union.”

In a video for Logo TV, Porter began, “Donald J. Trump has painted himself as a friend of the LGBTQ community while revealing his true colors at every malicious turn. For some of us, each day under this administration has been a matter of life and death.”

The 50-year-old nominee also spoke on how the transgender community is affected, “This heinous violence against trans people, which disproportionately affects trans women of color is nothing short of an epidemic. We must confront it as a community and as a country, and we must elect officials who recognize it for the crisis that it is… The fate of the entire country is in the balance. I know it sounds dramatic. But if now is not the time for drama, child, when is?”

The Pose star closed with a quote from the late James Baldwin,  “Remember that we have far more that connects us than sets us apart. So, love one another, take care of one another, and let’s secure the future for those who will inherit it. In the words of the great James Baldwin, ‘Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.'”

The queer community has been severely under attack since 45 was elected. Trump has  banned transgender people serving in the U.S. military, backed the “conscience rule,”  which would have allowed health care professionals to refuse to perform medical procedures on LGBTQ people because of religion and his conservative U.S. Supreme Court is debating on whether it is legal to fire someone because of their sexual orientation.

See the full Billy Porter speech below: