5. Ronald Reagan
From 1981 to 1989, Ronald Reagan served as the 40th President of the United States after serving out his elected position of Governor of California. He had a lot to do with a complete upheaval of American economics and turned a deficit into a surplus, but eventually this would backfire. However, what we’re focused on is gay rights, a topic which Reagan had a lot of opinions.
During his initial run for president gay rights had just become prevalent in the US and Reagan was clear that he could not, and would not, condone the ‘alternative lifestyle’ of LGBTQ Americans. Many gay rights advocates were upset with Reagan’s ability to completely ignore the AIDS epidemic that had taken thousands of lives by the end of the 1980’s to which his administration responded that since homosexuals and drug addicts were dying of the disease they were simply “getting what they justly deserve.”
During the Reagan administration not one civil rights or LGBTQ rights law was passed and until his death Reagan was firm on his anti-gay political stance.
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