Distributed by Arcus Foundation<\/em> As U.S. government leaders continue to grapple with addressing gun violence-prevention following last weekend's homophobic massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, LGBTQ and gun violence-prevention advocates and activists are calling for more stringent checks to keep guns out of dangerous hands. <\/p>\n The Orlando tragedy, the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, highlights how vulnerable LGBTQ communities are to hate-fueled violence, especially LGBTQ communities of color.<\/p>\n Hate violence has risen sharply in recent years, with a 20% increase in reported LGBTQ homicides in the U.S. between 2014 and 2015, according to a study released this week by The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP). Of the homicides reported last year, 62% were LGBTQ people of color.<\/p>\n Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) hate crime statistics tell us year after year that people are most frequently targeted for hate violence based on personal characteristics related to race, religion, and sexual orientation. According to The Williams Institute, gay men report being victims of violent hate crimes at a higher rate than any other targeted group, and these crimes are more violent and result in hospitalization more often.<\/p>\n And yet we cannot ignore the fact that transgender people are at great risk of being victims of hate violence because of their gender identity and this reality is even worse for those who are also targeted on the basis of their race, ethnicity, class, and citizenship status. Fifty four percent of all hate-violence related LGBTQ homicides were transgender women of color, according to the NCAVP study.<\/p>\n We recognize the need to address the bigotry that motivates acts of violence toward LGBTQ people, and we also recognize that such violence is far more deadly when carried out with firearms.<\/p>\n Any solutions to the problem of hate violence, including anti-LGBTQ violence, must address the alarmingly easy access that bigots have to such deadly weapons. For example, under current law, people convicted of violent hate crimes can legally buy and possess guns. This is unacceptable.<\/p>\n With each new massacre, most recently the one in Orlando, we hope the number of homicides has pushed Americans over the threshold of tolerance for hatred fueled by people who seek to divide the country; for weak gun laws that arm those with hate in their hearts; and for the more than 90 victims of gun killings nationwide each day, affecting people of all backgrounds, sexual orientations, and gender identities.<\/p>\n Assault-style weapons, like the Sig Sauer MCX rifle used in Sunday's Pulse nightclub shooting, can be purchased legally in the state of Florida without a background check – as long as the purchase is made from an unlicensed seller.<\/p>\n Eighteen states have already taken steps to close this dangerous \"unlicensed sale loophole.\" But in the remaining states, including Florida, anyone can buy a gun from an unlicensed seller with no background check, no questions asked. <\/p>\n Under current U.S. federal law, people on terror watch lists can legally buy guns, exploiting this \"terror gap.\" Since 2004, more than 2,000 terror suspects have taken advantage of this loophole. But we also recognize how this screening mechanism has the dangerous potential to profile specific communities on the basis of their actual or perceived race, religion, national origin, and other attributes.<\/p>\n Orlando is the sixth mass shooting [1] in the U.S. since January 2009 to be investigated as an act of terrorism by the FBI. Americans are 25 times more likely than people in other developed countries to fall victim to a gun homicide.<\/p>\n The federal background check system established in 1994 by the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act has blocked more than 2.6 million gun sales to prohibited purchasers at licensed dealers; however, an estimated 40% of gun sales across the U.S. take place without a background check, primarily at gun shows and online. <\/p>\n We urge Congress to make a start towards stronger protections against gun violence nationwide by enacting laws to: <\/p>\n 1. Prevent known and suspected terrorists and those convicted of violent hate crimes from legally buying guns.<\/p>\n 2. Ensure that criminal background checks are required on all gun sales, including online and at gun shows.<\/p>\n Signed,<\/p>\n Listed alphabetically as of June 16, 2016<\/p>\n AIDS Alabama Campaign hashtags [1] The previous attacks were in Fort Hood, Texas (2009); Oak Creek, Wisconsin (2012); Charleston, South Carolina (2015); Chattanooga, Tennessee (2015); and San Bernardino, California (2015).<\/p>\n<\/div>"]
Batcat is pink and round, and maybe you guessed it: part bat and cat. They love a good fish taco, their video games, being alone and they hate when people
[...]
While the world’s first cat cafes opened in Taiwan and Japan in the late ‘90s and mid-’00s, the U.S. didn’t get its own permanent cat
[...]
African novelist Chukwuebuka Ibeh tells the story of a queer boy struggling to define himself while seeking out affirmations in post-military Nigeria in his
[...]
As a proud LGBTQ+ Michigander, I know there’s only one choice this November to protect our community’s rights and freedoms — and that’s
[...]
Christopher Kane | Washington Blade, Courtesy of the National LGBT Media AssociationBeloved LGBTQ+ advocate Judy Shepard is among the 19 honorees who will
[...]
Brody Levesque | Washington Blade, Courtesy of the National LGBT Media AssociationThe U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights has
[...]
\nThe open letter is also available in the following languages:
\nالعربية<\/a>","Español<\/a><\/p>\n
\nAmericans for Responsible Solutions
\nThe Arcus Foundation
\nAthlete Ally
\nAuburn Theological Seminary
\nBelieve Out Loud
\nBiNet USA
\nBisexual Resource Center
\nThe Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence United with The Million Mom March
\nCampaign To Unload
\nCongregation Beit Simchat Torah
\nThe David Bohnett Foundation
\nEquality Alabama
\nEquality Federation
\nEquality Florida
\nEquality Illinois
\nEquality New Mexico
\nEquality North Carolina
\nEquality Pennsylvania
\nEverytown for Gun Safety
\nFair Wisconsin
\nFaith in America
\nFamily Equality Council
\nFreedom to Work
\nGay Men's Health Crisis
\nGLAAD
\nGLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders
\nGLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBT Equality
\nGLSEN
\nGroundSpark\/The Respect for All Project
\nGSA Network – Genders & Sexualities Alliance Network
\nInternational Imperial Court System
\nLambda Legal
\nLPAC
\nNational Black Justice Coalition
\nNational Center for Lesbian Rights
\nNational Center for Transgender Equality
\nNational Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
\nNational LGBTQ Task Force
\nNMAC: National Minority AIDS Council
\nNational Religious Leadership Roundtable
\nNew York City Anti-Violence Project
\nOne Colorado
\nOpen and Affirming Coalition of the United Church of Christ
\nOut & Equal Workplace Advocates
\nOutServe-SLDN
\nPride at Work
\nServices & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE)
\nStonewall National Museum & Archives
\nTransgender Legal Defense & Education Fund
\nThe Trevor Project
\nUnited Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries
\nWomen's Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual (WATER)<\/p>\n
\n#DisarmHate
\n#WeAreOrlando<\/p>\n
Read More
How Michigan Graphic Novelist Meggie Ramm Draws Strength from Nature
Feeling Down? Pet a Cat at One of these Purrfectly Queer-Affirming Feline-Forward Coffee Shops in Michigan
Nigerian Author Chukwuebuka Ibeh on Finding ‘Blessings’ in a Country Where Same-Sex Marriage (and Homosexuality) Is Outlawed
Op-Ed: A Vote for Biden Is a Vote for the LGBTQ+ Community
Judy Shepard to Receive Presidential Medal of Freedom
HHS Expands Affordable Care Act Protections to LGBTQ+ Community
LGBTQ and Gun Violence-Prevention Groups Call for Hate and Terror to be Disarmed Following Orlando Shooting
["
\n
Michigan
How Michigan Graphic Novelist Meggie Ramm Draws Strength from Nature
Batcat is pink and round, and maybe you guessed it: part bat and cat. They love a good fish taco, their video games, being alone and they hate when people [...]
Feeling Down? Pet a Cat at One of these Purrfectly Queer-Affirming Feline-Forward Coffee Shops in Michigan
While the world’s first cat cafes opened in Taiwan and Japan in the late ‘90s and mid-’00s, the U.S. didn’t get its own permanent cat [...]
Pack Your Bags — ‘That Michigan Guy’ Just Created Your Perfect Michigan Summer Itinerary
Ryan Redoute’s Michigan travel content could be considered the real-deal counterpart to the Pure Michigan campaign. Instead of billboard-sized images of [...]
Tim Walberg: Michigan’s Worst Congressman?
Congressman Tim Walberg, a man with the name and look of a substitute teacher, is an unlikely candidate to grab headlines. Yet after his latest blowup over [...]
Why Michigan’s PRISM Chorus Chose Dolly, Sufjan and 'Hairspray' for Its ‘Hits the Road’ Show
PRISM Chorus is hitting the road, and they’ve got their playlist all mapped out. The choir will perform “PRISM Hits the Road: A Musical Road [...]
‘She Represents Hate’: As Riley Gaines Prepares to Take the Adrian College Commencement Stage, Trans Alumni Question the School’s Decision
Riley Gaines, a former competitive swimmer and internet influencer who has garnered fame from an unapologetic anti-trans platform that likens transgenderism to [...]
