In response to the massacre on Saturday of 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Lambda Legal issued the following statement:
“Our hearts go out to the family, friends, and community of the Tree of Life congregation following the anti-Semitic massacre on Saturday. We share in the grief and anger of people everywhere in response to this latest act of hate violence at the end of one of the most painful weeks in recent memory. We stand with other marginalized and targeted communities, united in our determination to beat back bigotry.
“Last week, bombs were mailed to 13 individuals and news outlets deemed “enemies” of the Trump administration. On Wednesday, a white man tried to enter a predominantly Black church in Kentucky, and when he was unsuccessful, he unleashed his hate on two Black customers at a nearby grocery store. We also know that, in addition to the murderous rage aimed at Jewish people, the Pittsburgh shooter’s bigotry was directed at the refugees and migrants hoping to seek safety in the U.S.
“We stand opposed to the white supremacist violence convulsing our nation and stand in solidarity with all those who have been targeted by it. We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community of Pittsburgh, and with Jewish people everywhere across this country. We stand in solidarity with the African-American community of Louisville, and with people of color everywhere across this country. We stand in solidarity with immigrants.
“We know that all of these attacks are connected, each part of a larger web of hate that is being spun in an effort to undermine civil rights and intimidate people. And we know that LGBTQ people are targets in that larger web. Last week began with news of a memo being circulated within the federal government that sought to erase transgender, intersex, and gender non-conforming people by literally defining them out of existence for purposes of federal law.
“This effort to undermine our democracy through violence and repression must not be allowed to succeed. We refuse to be intimidated or silenced in the face of these threats; rather, we are more committed than ever to fighting for all of the communities of which LGBTQ people are a part, and to bringing our country closer to its aspiration of being a place of liberty, equality, and justice for all.”
