Experts & advocates claim that officials in Colorado have supported anti LGBTQ rhetoric
Rep. Lauren Boebert and former candidate for governor Heidi Ganahl both wrote on Twitter that they would pray for all those impacted by the mass shooting on Sunday.
LGBTQ individuals and allies immediately called out the two Republicans for remarks they made while in office and on the campaign road that were homophobic and transphobic.
As condolences for the victims of the Colorado Springs massacre at Club Q
poured in from throughout the nation, some were vehemently rejected by LGBT people. Although the motive of the alleged gunman is yet unknown, the attack occurs at a time when LGBTQ communities are under tension.
The 2022 election saw intense controversy over the fundamental validity of transgender identity, during which transphobic campaign advertisements were mailed to voters and broadcast on radio and television.
At the tribute outside Club Q, pansexual Burlie Gooch declared, “I would say I'm nervous.” I must exercise caution and keep an eye on my surroundings, but it won't stop me from wanting to live.
Despite their statements of solidarity in the wake of the massacre, experts and advocacy groups claim that Boebert, Ganahl, and other public figures have pushed fear tactics and laws that have resulted in harassment and violence against queer people.
“They need to look deeper inside themselves to see why they think it's acceptable to stand on the backs of others for their political success because they are the reason why these people are so empowered to destroy our community.
It was “disgusting to try to pin” the attack on her, Boebert said in an interview with Denver's KOA on Tuesday morning.
The rhetoric Bridges and other supporters have opposed was then brought up again by the speaker.”Our children being sexualized is what I've decried.
And I've criticized men dressing up as caricatures of women and taking things that are legitimately a woman's, whether it's a job or a trophy or a medal that a girl has worked her entire life to earn.
Then a mediocre male athlete comes in and completely dominates her and takes what was rightfully hers,” she said.
Bridges claimed that she has observed a lot of anti-queer animosities directed at officials and schools.
Schools have turned into a battleground between LGBTQ supporters and their detractors.
Both Boebert and Ganahl asserted throughout their campaigns this year that Colorado's schools are home to “furries,” a subculture of people who develop alter identities in the guise of animal personas.
Boebert even claimed that some administrators had installed litter boxes in restrooms to accommodate students.
Simply said, it's a trend where students in middle and high schools avoid conversation.
They're mutes,” Ganahl said in September to CPR News. Unfounded allegations may have contributed to a popular TikTok craze in which students hid litter boxes in restrooms as a joke.
Parents who were offended by Ganahl's assertion complained to school and district officials who had previously dismissed the issue as widespread. The claims, according to experts and supporters, are a subtle kind of homophobia.
Public school curricula have also been shaped by recent conversations around identity and queerness. The inclusion of minorities and other marginalized groups, such as LGBTQ communities, is required by proposed social studies standards.
But conservative members of school boards at the state and local levels have complained that this is the indoctrination of children.
Initially, a group that made recommendations to the state board of education decided to drop the demands that instructors discuss LGBTQ matters in courses under the fourth grade.
In April, board vice-chair Steve Durham stated, “The problem with the LGBTQ problems is not inclusion or exclusion, but whether the talk of sex in its different forms is suitable for kindergarteners.”
Other board members objected, arguing that it isn't sexual to include perspectives from underrepresented groups.
The curriculum was ultimately changed by the board, which divided along partisan lines, but the final version brought back references to marginalized groups, including LGBTQ perspectives, for all grade levels.
Parents are easily targeted and persuaded by disinformation efforts that appeal to their protective nature, according to Ari Drennen, who analyses misinformation about queer communities for Media Matters.
“These Facebook-born organizations, like Moms for Liberty and a few others who are vying for school board seats, are radicalizing individuals.
They attend school board meetings, bringing these anti-LGBTQ conspiracy theories and the notion that they are there to prevent people from essentially becoming gay, according to Drennen.
Anti-LGBTQ laws, according to proponents, normalize the dehumanization of queer people. LGBTQ advocacy organizations and government watchdogs have been monitoring federal and state government proposals around the United States that may have an impact on LGBTQ rights.
While most state and federal measures trying to restrict LGBTQ rights fall short, some of them have succeeded and become law.
Multiple states have passed laws that forbid transgender people from competing in sports. We've seen laws like Florida's “Don't Say Gay” law that severely restricts the right to free speech for LGBTQ individuals in the classroom, Drennen said.
Legislators in Colorado have mostly refrained from introducing these laws. The Democratic majority and a few moderate Republicans in the state legislature would probably prevent any attempt.
After passing through the House last year, the national effort to enact the Equality Act—a bill that would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to outlaw discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity—may succeed.
The bill was divided among the congressional delegation from Colorado when it was put to a vote.
Rep. Boebert asked others to follow her example and abstain from voting, while Republicans Doug Lamborn and Ken Buck opposed the bill.
Where is the equity in this law for the young girls across America who will have to check behind them as they change in school locker rooms to make sure no confused man is attempting to sneak a peek?
Robert posed the query in the House. The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a hearing for the proposed legislation.
According to Bridges, codifying laws that limit LGBTQ individuals' rights could further dehumanize the group.
This isn't just a topic for the gym anymore, right? This is no longer a joke being made about your homophobic or transphobic relatives or neighbors. This harms our neighborhood.
Violence and trauma are being produced. According to Bridges, this language is violent toward our community.
The alleged shooter in the attack on Sunday was detained and was booked into the El Paso County jail on charges of five counts of first-degree murder and five counts of bias-motivated crimes causing bodily injury.
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