Recent attacks on the LGBTQ+ community in the United States have highlighted the need for greater government protections, according to advocates. Following a hate crime in which five people were killed and 17 others injured in a gay and lesbian nightclub in Colorado, the Department of Homeland Security issued a bulletin that identified the threat of terrorism against LGBTQ+ citizens and other marginalised groups, noting that “lone offenders and small groups motivated by a range of ideological beliefs and/or personal grievances continue to pose a persistent and lethal threat”. However, LGBTQ+ rights groups say that while such a recognition is a step forward, it is insufficient.
Laurel Powell, a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, a Washington-based LGBTQ+ advocacy group, warned that the rise of extremist far-right groups is contributing to a rising threat of violence across marginalised communities, adding that “it, unfortunately, has real-world consequences.” Powell argued that social media companies and other internet platforms should do more to provide safe spaces, whilst tackling the issue of gun violence in the US would help address the problem.
Tonya Agnew, a spokesperson for the New York-based Family Equality group, which advocates for LGBTQ+ issues, said the presence of gun-toting protesters outside local drag events is a worrying trend, as well as a recent increase in hate speech in the media. The animosity of protesters has been reflected in the hundreds of legislative proposals introduced around the country this year in an effort to restrict the rights of those in LGBTQ+ communities, serving only to embolden those with bigoted beliefs.
Whilst midterm elections offer some reason for hope, with anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric largely rejected by voters, Ashton Rose, a non-binary college student in Minnesota, said that government action is required to enact change. Rose highlighted the need for gun legislation reform and greater support for families, arguing that it is not solely the responsibility of the LGBTQ+ community to prevent violence against it.