LGBT Community Worries Extend Beyond Itself To Other, More Vulnerable People

By Stina Sieg

Published January 19, 2017 at 11:57 AM EST

Phoenix residents (left to right) Brendan Mahoney, Jenni Vega and Tony Moya all felt shocked and scared on the night of the recent presidential election. They worry about their rights as LGBT people, but more so, they worry for others more vulnerable than themselves, especially Muslims and people who are in the country illegally.

This story is part of Kitchen Table Conversations, a series from NPR's National Desk that examines how Americans from all walks of life are moving forward from the presidential election.

The election of Donald Trump has many LGBT people worried that recent civil rights strides will be erased. In Phoenix, three people — two middle-aged gay men and a young genderqueer woman — meet for the first as part of NPR's Kitchen Table Conversation series, brought together by their fears for the future.

While Donald Trump has called himself a supporter of the LGBT community, many of his Cabinet picks – and his vice president – oppose LGBT rights.

Moya — who is 52, gay, Latino and married — thinks Trump's opinions can turn on a dime.

So even though the president-elect has said he's "fine" with the U.S. Supreme Court legalizing same-sex marriage, Moya says he doesn't believe it.

"I don't know what's going to happen," he says.

That uncertainty has Moya, Brendan Mahoney and Jenni Vega worried.

They believe Trump has invigorated people who don't want to understand them – and might even hate them.

Mahoney is a 59-year-old gay white man who's been out since he was 19, while Vega is a genderqueer Hispanic woman.

And their worry isn't only for themselves, but for other people who are even more vulnerable: trans people, Muslims, those who are in the country illegally.

Use the audio link above to hear the full story.