In response to the racist violence that shook in Charlottesville, VA, Friday and Saturday, Lambda Legal CEO Rachel B. Tiven issued the following statement:
We were revolted by the racist violence and intimidation in Charlottesville on Friday and Saturday, and stand in solidarity with the communities of color targeted by the naked display of hate and bigotry.
We are moved by the courage and love of the brave people who came out to confront them and grateful to the thousands of Americans who protested white supremacy last night in cities across the nation. Our hearts go out to the families of those injured and killed.
Above all, Lambda Legal is committed to the ongoing struggle for racial justice in our country.
Racist violence is as old as America. At the center of our struggle as a nation there has always been a battle between subjugation based on white supremacy and ideals of equality of justice for all. The racist, homophobic, xenophobic, and anti-Semitic views so boldly on display this weekend are a cancer on our society.
Donald Trump has encouraged and invited bigotry in many forms and has refused to condemn domestic hate crimes and terrorism when the perpetrators were white. His inability to condemn yesterday’s murderous attack on anti-racist protestors is not surprising given the reality that the Trump Administration has become a haven for people sympathetic to or, at a minimum, apologists for the kinds of groups that brought terror to the streets of Charlottesville this weekend.
But to lay the blame for yesterday’s violence all at President Trump’s feet would be to dishonor the countless thousands of people who have for centuries fought, suffered, and died for their freedom in a nation built on the slavery of African Americans and the genocide of Native Americans.
Their sacrifices are testament to the deep roots of racism.
In the battle for the soul of our nation, LGBT people stand on the side of freedom and justice for all.
