Hi John,

Today marks five years since the deadliest attack on the LGBTQIA+ community. On what should have been a night filled with love and joy, a gunman opened fire at a Pride celebration at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, killing 49 people and wounding 53 others.

On this anniversary, we remember the 49 lives stolen and the countless others forever changed by this devastating act of hate. We are also taking this moment to recommit to honoring them with action.

Pulse was the deadliest attack on the LGBTQIA+ community, but it is far from the only example of anti-LGBTQIA+ gun violence. More than 50 years after Black and brown trans women led an uprising at the Stonewall Inn, the LGBTQIA+ community—and especially trans people of color—are still the targets of hate-fueled violence, too often carried out with a gun. 2020 was the deadliest year on record for transgender people, and already 2021 is on track to beat that record.

We know that evidence-based policies exist that work to disarm hate and prevent gun violence. In Washington state, lawmakers have passed policies to keep guns out of the hands of people intent on causing harm. It is long past time for Congress to follow suit. Please, join us in honoring the victims of Pulse and all victims of gun violence, by urging your federal representatives to stand up to the flailing gun lobby and disarm hate.

Thank you,
Nelago (she/her)

P.S. You can also tune into a national remembrance of Pulse streaming on Facebook on June 12th at 5:00PM ET.