Writer for gay magazine says Trump administration's plan to end criminalization of homosexuality is racist

Out Magazine ran an op-ed speaking out against reports that President Donald Trump's administration is preparing to end the criminalization of homosexuality.

The piece noted that the administration's planned move is nothing more than an "old racist tactic."

On Tuesday, NBC News reported that the Trump administration planned to launch a worldwide initiative to end such practices. The report also noted that U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell — who is openly gay — is spearheading the effort.

The purported move comes in the wake of Iran recently hanging a 31-year-old gay man over his sexuality.

So what does the article say?

In a Wednesday article titled, "Trump's Plan to Decriminalize Homosexuality Is an Old Racist Tactic," Out's Mathew Rodriguez writes that there's no reason to "cheer" the Trump administration over the reports.

"While on its surface, the move looks like an atypically benevolent decision by the Trump administration, the details of the campaign belie a different story," Rodriguez wrote, adding that the administration is "using queer people" as pawns to gain power and implement its own agenda.

Rodriguez pointed out what he believes to be the Trump administration's failures at maintaining a "human rights record at home" concerning LGBT rights, including — but not limited to — the president's transgender military ban.

He also opined that reports of the administration kicking off the initiative in response to the gay Iranian man's fate is suspicious.

"Grenell has had his eyes on Iran for some time and just a week ago," Rodriguez wrote, "[and] was trying to get several European nations to pass sanctions on Iran, unrelated to the country's stance on homosexuality, to no avail."

Rodriguez went on to suggest that Grenell's "sudden interest in Iran's anti-gay laws" is "strikingly similar to Trump's rhetoric after the 2016 Pulse massacre in Orlando, Florida." At least 49 people were killed during the massacre at the gay nightclub.

Rodriguez noted his belief that the president used the deadly massacre in order to gain support for "an anti-Muslim agenda" instead of supporting LGBT people.

"Rather than honor those who died, Trump used the tragedy as a way to stoke fear among the American people, and Grennell is taking similar actions with Iran — trying to reach an economic goal by painting the administration's opponent as anti-gay," he explains.

What else?

Josh Lederman, who reported the original NBC News article, told Rodriguez that "Trump is very focused on Iran and is looking for ways to demonize it in the public opinion."

"This is one area where you know the U.S. and European countries see eye to eye on Iran," Lederman added. "It makes [sense] for [the administration] to focus strategically on that rather than sanctions, where there's been a big gulf between the U.S. and its allies."

Rodriguez then pointed out the administration's "racism" in trying to fight for equal worldwide rights.

The truth is, this is part of an old colonialist handbook. In her essay, "Can the Subaltern Speak?" postcolonial theorist Gayatri Spivak coined the term "White men saving brown women from brown men" to describe the racist, paternalistic process by which colonizing powers would decry the way men in power treated oppressed groups, like women, to justify attacking them.

He said that Grenell's move could very well be "a case of white men trying to save brown gay men from brown straight men."