John–

June is Pride month, but this moment demands that we do more than our usual celebrations.

The first Pride was a riot against police violence, led by a Black trans woman named Marsha P. Johnson. This year, Pride events are grounded in the memory of those roots, and the work that still must be done to address the acts of hate that hurt and kill LGBTQIA+ Americans today—violence that is largely aimed at Black and brown queer people and, all too often, is perpetrated with guns.

As a nation, we are reckoning with our history of systemic racism. And as we have these conversations, we must center the lives of queer people of color. We must honor the lives of Monika Diamond, Lexi Sutton, Nina Pop, Selena Reyes-Hernandez, Dominique Rem'mie Fells, and Riah Milton with action.

John, that's why we're calling on you to take these steps to support Black queer, trans, and non-binary people. As gun violence prevention advocates, it's on us to make sure that our work is as inclusive as possible and that we band together to fight to stop gun violence in all of its forms.

This Pride month, here's what you can do:

• Support the Marsha P. Johnson Institute: Named after pioneering Black trans activist Marsha P. Johnson, MPJI protects and defends the human rights of Black transgender people by organizing, advocating, creating an intentional community to heal, developing transformative leadership, and promoting collective power.
• Support the National Black Justice Coalition: The NBJC is a civil rights organization dedicated to the empowerment of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and same gender loving (LGBTQ/SGL) people, including people living with HIV/AIDS. They are America's leading national Black LGBTQ/SGL civil rights organization focused on federal public policy.
• Learn more about how gun violence impacts the LGBTQIA+ community: Last week, the Everytown Support Fund launched a new report in partnership with the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, Giffords Law Center, and the Equality Florida Institute.

John, it's past time that we center Black trans women and femmes in our fight to end gun violence. Black queer people have been a part of this movement for decades, and queer and trans people of color have long been leaders in the movement for LGBTQIA+ equality. Now, it's more important than ever for the gun violence prevention movement as a whole to listen, to follow their lead, and to act.

Yours in power,

Alika Osadolor-Hernandez
She/her/hers
Texas Students Demand Action
for Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund