[ "The tragic, targeted killing of Lauri over the Pride flag
displayed at her Lake Arrowhead store was senseless and,
unfortunately, part of a growing number of attacks on LGBTQ people and
our allies"]
[[link removed]]

LGBTQ+ RIGHTS ADVOCATES MOURN CALIFORNIA STORE OWNER KILLED OVER
PRIDE FLAG  
[[link removed]]


 

Jessica Corbett
August 21, 2023
Common Dreams
[[link removed]]


*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

_ "The tragic, targeted killing of Lauri over the Pride flag
displayed at her Lake Arrowhead store was senseless and,
unfortunately, part of a growing number of attacks on LGBTQ people and
our allies" _

Laura "Lauri" Ann Carleton was killed on August 18, 2023 in Cedar
Glen, California by a man who made disparaging comments about an
LGBTQ+ pride flag displayed at her shop, according to local
authorities, (Photos: Mountain Provisions Cooperative/Facebook)

 

LGBTQ+ rights advocates and allies have expressed heartbreak and
outrage since Friday, when Laura "Lauri" Ann Carleton was fatally shot
by a man who made disparaging comments about a pride flag displayed at
Mag.Pi, her California clothing store.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said
[[link removed]] in
a statement that deputies found Carleton "suffering from a gunshot
wound" at her Cedar Glen shop Friday evening and emergency medical
personnel pronounced her dead at the scene. The 66-year-old is
survived by a husband and a blended family of nine children, according
to her website [[link removed]].

After fleeing the scene on foot, an unnamed male suspect "armed with a
handgun" died in "a lethal force encounter" with law enforcement, the
sheriff's department said. "Through further investigation, detectives
learned the suspect made several disparaging remarks about a rainbow
flag that stood outside the store before shooting Carleton."

As _The New York Times_reported
[[link removed]] Sunday:

Ms. Carleton's daughter Ari Carleton, 28, said that her mother was
"fearless" and put the needs of others ahead of her own. Ms. Carleton
had been a pillar in the community, she added.

When a rare blizzard struck the area
[[link removed]] this
year, Ms. Carleton and her husband, Bort Carleton, converted her shop
into a relief center.

"She opened up a free shop where she and my dad just gave out supplies
to those in need who had been impacted by the storms," Ari Carleton
said in a phone interview on Sunday, adding, "That really sums up who
she was as a person."

Ms. Carleton preached "love, acceptance, and equality," her daughter
said, and those values were reflected in her store, Mag.Pi
[[link removed]], where she carried a collection of
personally curated, high-quality, and ethically sourced clothes, and
sometimes her own designs.

"I just want the world to remember her for who she was," added Ari
Carleton. "And that she passed away in a place that she cherished,
doing what she loved and defending something that was so important to
her."

Carleton's daughter also noted that multiple people have removed the
pride flag outside her mother's shop over the past two years.

Film and television director Paul Feig, whose work
includes _Bridesmaids_ and _Freaks and Geeks_, was a friend of
Carleton. He explained
[[link removed]] on Instagram that
she was killed by a "man who didn't like that she had a large pride
flag hanging outside of her shop. He ripped it down and when she
confronted him about it he shot and killed her."

"We are all devastated for her husband Bort and her family and the
LGBTQ+ community, for whom Lauri was such a true ally," Feig said.
"Her alleged murderer was later shot and killed by the San Bernardino
police and so no longer poses a threat to the community. But this
intolerance has to end. Anyone using hateful language against the
LGBTQ+ community has to realize their words matter, that their words
can inspire violence against innocent loving people. Let's all keep
moving forward with tolerance and love. Let's not let Lauri's tragic
death be in vain."

The shooting sparked several other tributes from local and national
organizations as well as rights advocates across the country.

"Lauri did not identify as LGBTQ+, but spent her time helping and
advocating for everyone in the community," Lake Arrowhead
LGBTQ+ wrote
[[link removed]] on
Facebook, describing Carleton as a friend and supporter. "She will be
truly missed."

Sharing photographs of pride flags and flowers left outside her shop,
Mountain Provisions Cooperative said
[[link removed]] in
part:

In loving memory of our dear friend, mom to many, ally, organizer,
entrepreneur, founding member, and soul of our co-op Lauri Carleton.

Lauri was a pillar in our community, an immovable force in her values
for equality, love, and justice. If you knew Lauri you know she loved
hard, laughed often, and nurtured and protected those she cared about.
She was a force, she loved to crack jokes, and wanted to live as
joyful of a life as possible. We will continue to stand for the values
she so selflessly stood for. Her death will not be in vain.

"The tragic, targeted killing of Lauri over the Pride flag displayed
at her Lake Arrowhead store was senseless and, unfortunately, part of
a growing number of attacks on LGBTQ people and our allies," noted
[[link removed]] Sarah
Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, which along with the
Anti-Defamation League has tracked over 350 anti-LGBTQ+ threats and
attacks this year.

"No one should feel unsafe or be attacked for who they are or for
simply supporting the LGBTQ community," Ellis declared. "Lauri's
murder is the latest example of how anti-LGBTQ hatred hurts everyone,
whether they are LGBTQ or not. We know a supermajority of Americans
support LGBTQ people, and this horrific act of violence is not
indicative of American values."

National Center for Transgender Equality executive director Rodrigo
Heng-Lehtinen said
[[link removed]] Monday
that "the rainbow flag is a symbol of freedom, love, and hope in the
LGBTQ community. In a time when our people are being attacked with
anti-LGBTQ laws, rhetoric, and violence around the country, allyship
from our non-LGBTQ neighbors is a powerful declaration of love. It
should not be dangerous to love your neighbors."

"This is, unfortunately, what we mean when we say that anti-LGBTQ
extremism hurts all of us, whether you are LGBTQ or not. Schools lose
their teachers. Cities and towns lose their doctors. Families lose
their loved ones. Communities lose their friends and neighbors. All of
us are harmed whether we realize it or not," the campaigner continued.
"Our hearts are with Laura's family and friends, and the LGBTQ
community of San Bernardino County."

Many mourners connected rising attacks on the LGBTQ+ community to
right-wing media and MAGA Republicans—referring to members of the
GOP who have rallied behind former President Donald Trump's "Make
America Great Again" slogan and policies.

"As attacks on LGBTQ+ rights have increased from the right-wing media
and MAGA Republicans, so have hate crimes," the gun violence
prevention group Giffords said
[[link removed]] on X,
formerly known as Twitter. "Laura should still be here."

Education historian Diane Ravitch took aim
[[link removed]] at
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis—one of Trump's challengers for
the GOP's 2024 presidential nomination—and Moms for Liberty, a group
that opposes
[[link removed]] LGBTQ+
and racially inclusive school curriculum.

"Homophobic rhetoric by DeSantis and Moms 4 Liberty has deadly
consequences. Hate kills," Ravitch wrote on X.

Congressional Equality Caucus Chair Mark Pocan
[[link removed]] (D-Wis.), who is gay,
also weighed in
[[link removed]]: "Hey GOP
lawmakers. Want to know why all your rhetoric about cloth is
dangerous? A woman was killed for displaying a pride flag as you fan
the flames of hatred to get the votes of extremists. You should be
ashamed. Blood is on your lips. Anti-woke is hate."

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom said
[[link removed]]: "This is
absolutely horrific. A shop owner has been shot and killed by a man
after he criticized the pride flag hanging outside her business. Lauri
leaves behind her husband and nine children. This disgusting hate has
no place in CA."

_Jessica Corbett is a senior editor and staff writer for Common
Dreams._

_Common Dreams is a reader-supported independent news outlet created
in 1997 as a new media model.  Our nonprofit newsroom covers the most
important news stories of the moment. Common Dreams free online
journalism keeps our millions of readers well-informed, inspired, and
engaged._

_Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to
republish. Free to share. No advertising. No paywalls. No selling of
your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us
to continue publishing. CAN YOU CHIP IN TODAY AND HELP COMMON DREAMS
MAKE OUR SUMMER CAMPAIGN GOAL  DONATE_

* LGBTQ rights
[[link removed]]
* anti-wokeness
[[link removed]]
* MAGA
[[link removed]]
* homophobia
[[link removed]]

*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

 

 

 

INTERPRET THE WORLD AND CHANGE IT

 

 

Submit via web
[[link removed]]

Submit via email
Frequently asked questions
[[link removed]]

Manage subscription
[[link removed]]

Visit xxxxxx.org
[[link removed]]

Twitter [[link removed]]

Facebook [[link removed]]

 




[link removed]

To unsubscribe, click the following link:
[link removed]