Like all LGBT/Queer based groups, the 1 to 5 Club woke on the morning of June 12, 2016, to discover that one of the deadliest shootings in United States history had been perpetrated on members of our own community.
While gathering during Pride month, attendees at Orlando’s Pulse club were gunned down in a blatant hate crime that was also an act of domestic terrorism.
As of noon EST on June 12, 50 were declared dead and another 53 injured. And as facebook and twitter feeds filled with the news, as the body count rose, questions have again surfaced about safety, about equality, and of course, about what it means to be LGBT/Queer in America.
We of the 1 to 5 Club stand in solidarity with our LGBT/Queer family around the world, and especially now, Orlando, we are with you. This violence against our community cannot continue. Safe spaces for those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and other queer identified must not be destroyed. We refuse to allow our safety, and our freedom, to continually be put at risk.
Every day in the United States, lives are lost to gun violence. In shootings such as these, we are hit with the stark reminder that some lives are more vulnerable than others. This shooting reminds us that marriage equality was not the pinnacle of equality. This shooting reminds that Trans Women of Color have an average life expectancy of 35 years. That bisexual and pansexual identified people have skyrocketing rates of suicidal ideation and suicide completion. That lesbian women face life threatening stigma from medical providers. That gay men are seeing frightening increases in HIV infections.
This shooting reminds us that Pride is not just a party, but a PROTEST.
We of the 1 to 5 Club stand with our family in Orlando. We cannot, we will not allow those who would seed hate and bigotry into the community to succeed.
amandla
dailybridgerton
jimmyeatworldofficial
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
yousharknotpass