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  WINDY CITY TIMES

LGBT Community centers issue call for gun law reform
From a press release
2016-06-15

This article shared 1141 times since Wed Jun 15, 2016
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Our hearts break for the LGBT community in Orlando and for the families, friends, and loved ones of those who were killed. While we are still learning many facts about the shooting, one thing is clear: this attack targeted LGBT people, particularly the many LGBT Latinx people attending Latin night at the Pulse nightclub.

As community center leaders, we see the vast work that remains to eliminate homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, racism, and many other forms of bigotry from our communities; after Sunday, what is visible every day to us has now become clear to all.

LGBT bars were the original community centers; they were often the place where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people could be themselves, find support, and meet other like-minded people. For over four decades LGBT community centers have been dedicated to creating safe spaces where people find sanctuary from hostility and find acceptance not available to them elsewhere. Like Pulse, LGBT community centers are places where people gather and build families of love.

June marks LGBT Pride Month. LGBT community centers across the country are hosting pride festivals, parades, and events to celebrate our history and the progress that we have made. In times of tragedy the LGBT community has always come together to show its resilience. We see this resilience now as we gather for local vigils, raise funds for the survivors, and renew our commitments to visibly demonstrate the many facets of our community pride.

Now more than ever we must raise our voices and be heard.

We as the community of LGBT centers denounce any attempts to scapegoat the Muslim community. As with LGBT people, Muslims have experienced hate based violence, stereotyping, and bigotry. We stand with our Muslim friends and allies in calling for an end to this intolerance. We appreciate the outpouring of support from Muslim leaders and are working hard to support the many LGBT Muslims struggling to heal from this tragedy.

We as the community of LGBT centers call for our communities, our allies, and our friends to demand action to hold our elected officials accountable for passing laws that limit access to assault weapons. We must make a decision about whether we want to be a country that is content with mass shootings becoming commonplace. LGBT people will always be at risk as long as bigots have easy access to assault weapons.

We as the community of LGBT centers demand that politicians and religious leaders stop spewing their hateful rhetoric and justifying their words with ignorance or religious verse. Your words cause harm. We will not stand by quietly when you whisper, shout, or legislate your hate. In response you will hear our shouts of condemnation for your actions, and our shouts of love and support for our LGBT family.

We will continue to serve our communities in good times and in bad. We will continue to stand strong. We will continue to build love and acceptance. With the support of our allies and fair-minded people from around the globe, we will win full equality for LGBT people, everywhere and forever.

In Pride,

CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers

Affirmations

All Under One Roof

Alliance for GLBTQ Youth

ALSO Youth

BAGLY, Inc. ( Boston Alliance of LGBTQ Youth )

Blue Ridge Pride Center

Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center

Canadian Centre for Gender & Sexual Diversity/Day of Pink

CAR- LGBTQ Center in Little Rock

Center Lane

Center on Halsted

Central Illinois Pride Health Center

David Bohnett Foundation

DC Center for the LGBT Community

Destination Tomorrow

Focus on Awareness and Information Resources of New York ( FAIR NY )

Great Falls LGBTQ+ Center

Hudson Pride Connections Center

Identity, Inc.

In Our Own Voices

Inside/Out Youth Services

JASMYN, Inc.

Kalamazoo Gay Lesbian Resource Center

Kaleidoscope Youth Center

Latino Pride Center, NYC

Lesbian Health Initiative ( LHI )

LGBT Center at Ohio University

LGBT Center of Central PA

LGBT Center of Raleigh

LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland

LGBT Community Center of the Desert

LGBT Detroit

LGBT Network ( Long Island/Queens )

LGBT Visitor Center

LGBTQ Center Long Beach

LGBTQ Center of Durham

LGBTQ Center of the Finger Lakes

LGBTQMUNITY Center of Montgomery County Pennsylvania

Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth ( LIGALY )

Long Island LGBT Community Center

Los Angeles LGBT Center

Marsha Botzer-CenterLink Board Member

Memphis Gay & Lesbian Community Center

Metro Wellness & Community Centers

Michelle Kristel-CenterLink Board Member

Milwaukee LGBT Community Center

NEPA Rainbow Alliance

North Star LGBT Community Center in Winston-Salem, NC

Northwest Arkansas Center for Equality

Oklahomans for Equality

one n ten

Our Center

Our Space LGBTQ Youth Center

Out Boulder County

Out Youth

OutCenter of Southwest Michigan

Outlinc - Lincoln's LGBTQ Community Center

OutReach LGBT Community Center

OUTright Youth of Catawba Valley

Pacific Center for Human Growth

Pacific Pride Foundation

Paul Moore-CenterLink Board Member

Persad Center

Phillip Rush Center

Phoenix Center

Phoenix Pride LGBT Center

Polestar LGBT Center of Traverse City

Pride Center at Equality Park

Pride Center of Staten Island

Pride Center of Vermont

Pride Community Services Organization

Pridelines, Miami's LGBTQ Center

PRISM-Q LGBT & Allies Resource Center in Placer County, CA

Proud Haven

Q Center of Portland

QSpot LGBT Community Center

Queens LGBT Center ( QCenter )

Queens Pride House, NYC

RAD Remedy

Rainbow Community Center of Contra Costa County

Rainbow Resource Centre

Rainbow Serenity

Resource Center

Rockland County Pride Center

ROSMY

Ruth Ellis Center

Sacramento LGBT Community Center

SAGE-Long Island

San Diego LGBT Community Center

San Francisco LGBT Community Center

SMYAL

SOURCE LGBT+ Center Visalia, CA

Spencer Pride Community Center

SunServe

The Attic Youth Center

The Center Orlando

The Center Project in Columbia, Mo

The Center: 7 Rivers LGBTQ Connection

The Center-Advancing LGBT Colorado

The Community Center, Inc.

The Diversity Center: Santa Cruz County

The Gay & Lesbian Center of Southern Nevada

The Hawaii LGBT Legacy Foundation ( @The LGBT Center )

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

The LGBT Center of Hampton Roads

The LOFT LGBT Community Center

The Montrose Center

The Newark LGBTQ Community Center

The Phillip Rush Center

The Pride Center of New Jersey

The Pride Center of New Jersey

The Rhode Island LGBTQ Center

The Spahr Center

Triangle Community Center

Upper Delaware GLBT Center, Inc.

Utah Pride Center - Salt Lake City

Washington County Gay Straight Alliance, Inc.

Western Montana LGBT Community Center

William Way LGBT Community Center

Women in Network

Youth Outlook

Youth Outright WNC, Inc.


This article shared 1141 times since Wed Jun 15, 2016
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