Statement From The National LGBTQ Task Force On Violence In Charlottesville

WASHINGTON-DC: In response to the White Supremacist rally in Charlottesville, VA, the National LGBTQ Task Force has issued the following statement:

The following can be attributed to Stacey Long Simmons, Esq., Director of the Advocacy and Action Department of the National LGBTQ Task Force:

“The violence we are witnessing is horrifying, but is merely the latest manifestation of the growing racist, anti-immigration, anti-Semitic, sexist and anti-LGBTQ hate in our midst. The continuing escalation of hate and white nationalist sentiment we are experiencing during the Trump administration has come to this – targeted violence in the streets of Virginia led by the Klu Klux Klan and Neo-Nazi organizations. The National LGBTQ Task Force will not stand by and watch the very fabric of this nation torn apart by hate. We will stand with our immigrant, Muslim, African-American, Latino, AAPI, disabled and all marginalized people targeted by the hate and discrimination coming from all directions, from the White House to the streets of Charlottesville.”

The below statement can be attributed to Candace Bond-Theriault, the Senior Policy Counsel, Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice and the Democracy Project Director:

“As a Black queer Virginian I am a swell of emotions. I am angry. It is 2017 and a White Nationalist group in Charlottesville, Virginia had the audacity to march last night with torches, a symbol of allegiance with the KKK. I am also not shocked. I know that White Supremacy and hatred run rampant in my state. Growing up in southern, Virginia, I have witnessed racism firsthand more times than I can count. But even in the face of this extreme demonstration of hatred, I believe in the wise words of Martin Luther King Jr, that “Hate can’t drive out hate. Only love can do that.” In this moment we must keep each other close, hold on to each other and spread love. Today I choose the emotion of love, for myself and my fellow black queer Virginians because love is a radical act of rebellion.”

The National LGBTQ Task Force works to secure full freedom, justice, equality, and equity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people. For over forty years, we have been at the forefront of the social justice movement by training thousands of organizers and advocating for change at the federal, state, and local level. www.thetaskforce.org