Friend,

Five years ago today, a gunman entered the Pulse LGBTQ nightclub in
Orlando, Florida, and committed one of the most devastating acts of
hate our nation has seen. Forty-nine people were killed and 53 others
wounded in the attack on LGBTQ and Latin American communities. 

Today, we remember those we lost. We grieve for their families and
friends. And, we honor them by keeping up the fight against anti-LGBTQ
hate.

The Pulse murders occured during Pride Month in a space where LGBTQ
people can freely be their whole selves. Since then, an explosion of
hateful, anti-trans legislation has threatened to make an increasing
number of public spaces unsafe for transgender people. On the first
day of Pride Month, Florida became the eighth state to target trans
athletes with a sports ban. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also vetoed
state funding for Orlando's LGBTQ Community Center, an
organization that provides mental health support for survivors of the
Pulse attack, this month.

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Nationally, at least 17 bills targeting LGBTQ people have been passed
already this year, out of over 125 that were proposed in state
legislatures. The majority of these bills seek to prevent trans
children from accessing lifesaving gender affirming care, ban trans
people from using public restrooms or stop them from participating in
sports.

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Even before the legislation passed this year, a Trevor Project survey
conducted in late 2020 found that 94% of LGBTQ youth said recent
politics hurt their mental health.
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In a sickening display of bigotry, several anti-LGBTQ hate groups and
some members of the radical right praised the gunman after the Pulse
attack five years ago. This year's unprecedented legislative
attacks on transgender people revealed that, unfortunately, anti-LGBTQ
hate is still alive in state legislatures across the country.

Although anti-trans bills aren't popular among Americans of any
political affiliation, legislators have rushed to pass bills that will
harm generations of LGBTQ people. At a time when transgender and
gender nonconforming people are already at a high risk of violence,
these legislative attacks are deeply cruel and dangerous.

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In remembrance of those who were killed at Pulse, we must commit,
neighbor to neighbor, to standing up for each other's human
rights. That means speaking up against misgendering, harmful
disinformation and discriminatory legislation. That's how we
will continue to grow a national movement against anti-LGBTQ
hate. 

Sincerely,

The Southern Poverty Law Center

 




 


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