In the early morning hours of Sunday, June 12, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community found itself in the crosshairs of the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. The LGBT community is no stranger to hate-fueled homophobia and violence, but the massacre at Pulse nightclub in Orlando represented a scale and gruesomeness that no one in the community – or even the nation – had ever experienced.
In the days since, the LGBT community has come to a collective realization and reached a turning point: gun violence and gun safety are LGBT issues and it’s time for us as a community to begin to work together to bring about comprehensive gun safety reform at the federal and state levels.
Gun violence affects all Americans and everyone deserves to live free from fear and violence. So why is gun safety an LGBT issue?
For one, because LGBT people are disproportionately impacted by gun violence and hate-motivated crimes in general. Transgender women face epidemic rates of murder and violent crime. Hate crimes are on the rise throughout the United States, with 20 percent of hate crimes reported nationally targeting people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
It’s no secret that members of communities of color suffer the highest rates of gun violence. And they’re members of the LGBT community too. In fact, most of the victims in the Orlando massacre were Latino or African American.
Reported LGBT homicides rose by 20 percent in the U.S. between 2014 and 2015, according to a study released this week by The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. Of the homicides reported last year, 62 percent were LGBT people of color and 54 percent of all hate-violence related LGBT homicides were transgender women of color.
According to UCLA’s Williams Institute, gay men report being victims of violent hate crimes at higher rates than any other targeted group, and these crimes are more violent and result in hospitalization more often.
So yes… gun safety is an LGBT issue and the LGBT community is ready to take a leadership role in the ongoing struggle to enact tough federal gun safety measures and strengthen state laws to assure that another Orlando cannot occur anywhere.
Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBT civil rights organization, is making adoption of laws to reduce gun violence and mass shootings one of its highest organizational priorities. On Friday we announced the launch of “Safe and Equal,” our campaign to end gun violence by advocating for tougher common sense gun safety laws at the federal and state levels, among other things.
In the weeks and months ahead, we will relentlessly lobby lawmakers in Washington, D.C. and in Sacramento. We will also mobilize the LGBT community to support legislation to ban the sale of military-style assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition magazines, and to strengthen background checks at gun shows and in general to keep firearms out of dangerous hands.
At the state level, Equality California is also supporting a package of gun safety legislation in California and we will aggressively lobby for its passage by the legislature and signing by Governor Jerry Brown. In addition, we’re evaluating Safety for All, a ballot initiative backed by California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Equality California also joined over 100 local LGBT centers and other LGBT organizations across the country in signing an open letter that pledged support for tougher gun safety laws. We stand prepared to work together with other LGBT organizations and leaders, gun safety advocates and progressive and business partners to support legislative and electoral efforts to address the epidemic of gun violence that has plagued the United States for far too long.
Too often, national tragedies like the Orlando mass shooting are followed by vocal cries for change but a disheartening lack of action. This time is different. Far from paralyzing us in fear and defeat, the recent tragedy in Orlando has only galvanized our community’s commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of all people, including members of our own community.
Gun safety is an LGBT issue and the horrific shooting in Orlando is a call to action for the entire LGBT community to work together to end gun violence and to do everything we can to prevent guns from getting into the hands of criminals, people who hate and other disturbed individuals.
Rick Zbur is the executive director of Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBT civil rights organization.
