When Donald Trump Was Trolled Online After Saying ‘Ask the Gays’ to Find out if He Is LGBTQ Friendly

Former President Donald Trump, well-known for his controversial remarks, once buzzed social media with his "Ask the Gays"  comment during a speech in Atlanta (The Fox Theatre). The remark surfaced when Trump was defending his opinion on LGBTQ rights in comparison to Hillary Clinton’s record, inadvertently igniting the hashtag #AskTheGays on Twitter.

His speech was met with online criticism as Twitter users swiftly used the hashtag #AskTheGays to share funny memes and comments on his speech. Users were oozing with sarcasm and humor while sharing the tweets. One user quipped, “If you hadn't lost us at your racism, bigotry or elitism you would have lost us with that hair... #askthegays” A second user echoed the same sentiment and remarked, “Some #AskTheGays advice for The @realDonaldTrump”

As per The Telegraph, during his speech, in a quest to demean Clinton, Trump exclaimed, “The burden is on Hillary Clinton to tell us why we should admit anyone into our country who supports violence of any kind on gay and lesbian Americans. Ask yourself who is really the friend of women and the LGBT community: Donald Trump with actions or Hillary Clinton with her words? Clinton wants to allow radical Islamic terrorists to pour into our country.  They enslave women and murder gays. I don’t want them in our country.”

This ‘Ask the Gays’ fiasco occurred when 49 people were killed in the Orlando nightclub shooting. His sympathetic remarks were interpreted as a political agenda to gain LGBTQ community support. Trump exclaimed, "A radical Islamic terrorist targeted the nightclub not only because he wanted to kill Americans, but in order to execute gay and lesbian citizens because of their sexual orientation."

Although Trump shared his opinion about the significance of protecting LGBTQ individuals and their safety after the tragedy, his speech later inclined to focus on his policies and stance. During a campaign, he said, "The LGBT community, the gay community, the lesbian community — they are so much in favor of what I've been saying over the last three or four days. Ask the gays what they think and what they do, in, not only Saudi Arabia, but many of these countries, and then you tell me — who's your friend, Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton?" as reported by NPR.

His comments were not appreciated and offended many key figures. Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign ( America’s largest LGBT lobby group) said, “At a time like this no person in America, regardless of their political beliefs, should be using a moment like this for their political ambitions and political desires. He is no friend to the LGBT community, he is no friend.”

Another noteworthy public figure, Stuart Gaffney, spokesman for Marriage Equality USA, exclaimed, “Our lives are not footballs to be tossed around in an election campaign. The only response to tragedy is to stand united as one, not building walls that only serve to divide and alienate us from one another.”