Why Conservatives Won’t Identify The Orlando Shooting Victims As LGBT

[applegrove]

Why Conservatives Won’t Identify The Orlando Shooting Victims As LGBT

by Zack Ford at Think Progress

http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2016/06/17/3789595/orlando-shooting-lgbt-erasure/

"SNIP.............



Casting non-LGBT people as victims is now a necessary part of the conservative strategy. As recently as 20 years ago, blatant bigotry against LGBT people was still generally acceptable in society. When that started to change, conservatives began to instead argue that anybody could be a victim except LGBT people. Indeed, LGBT people had to be portrayed as the villains who will destroy society and undermine “religious liberty.”

Despite Rep. Session’s foolhardy attempt, it’s impossible to actually deny that the LGBT community was targeted in this shooting; LGBT people were the victims. The only way for conservatives to maintain their position that LGBT people are not victims worthy of protections they still need is to simply not identify the Orlando shooting victims as LGBT. Whether intentional or not, the erasure that’s been on display this week reinforces the very homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia responsible for the violence and discrimination LGBT people experience all the time. Keeping the LGBT community invisible either intentionally obstructs equality or negligently delays it.

Some politicians may be coming around to acknowledging the specific nature of the Orlando shooting. Rep. Steve King (R-IA), a longtime opponent of LGBT equality, surprisingly said this week, “I think it’s clear that gays were targeted in Orlando. It does matter.” He just might not realize how much.




.............SNIP"

[scscholar]

1. Hatred of LGBTQ is not LGBTQ!

That's what this be about.

[applegrove]

2. The Charleston shooting of African American christians resulted in the confederate flag being taken

down in some places. The GOP does not like-ee when their scapegoates get humanized. Then social change can happen.

[Scruffy1]

3. Sounds like King the crazy is worried about being unemployed. n/t

[IronLionZion]

4. They discuss this openly over at freeperville

how they will ignore the LGBT issue and focus on the Islamic/foreigner issue no matter what evidence comes up.

They know what they are doing.

[Bluenorthwest]

5. They are not the only ones who take important LGBT events and filter them into Tales of Straight

greatness. Erasing LGBT from LGBT things is systemic and habitual in both in the US and it's not just the Republicans who do it, not just the Republicans who dismiss complaints about it either.

[Behind the Aegis]

6. When it comes to conservatives this is hardly news...water is wet.

I have been disappointed with a number of stars and night show hosts who barely mention it was a gay club, if at all. Of course, I have mainly been disappointed with many so-called liberals and self-professed "progressives" who have almost done anything and everything to discuss everything but the impact on the LGBT community!