Colorado Rep. Boebert's shameless act after LGBTQ club shooting
Any Republican leader who has the nerve to offer up hollow “prayers” after the Colorado Springs shooting after helping to mainstream homophobia is shameless.
A gunman opened fire at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Saturday night, killing five people and injuring 19 others. At the time, Club Q was hosting a drag show and was expected to hold two more drag events the following day to honor Transgender Day of Remembrance. Now, however, lives have been stolen, others have been critically wounded, and Club Q has closed its doors until further notice.
Adding salt to the wound of all of this is the hypocrisy of Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., who tweeted that “the victims & their families are in my prayers.” This is the same person who has become notorious for her anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, wild conspiracy theories and glorification of guns and who has played a significant part in helping mainstream some dangerous talking points about queer and trans people. Unsurprisingly, her tweet fell flat and sparked outrage from the LGBTQ community and its allies, who unapologetically called her out for failing to acknowledge exactly who was targeted in the attack.
As a queer person, I’m heartbroken and devastated by the shooting, but as a journalist, I am unfortunately not surprised.
As a queer person, I’m heartbroken and devastated by the shooting, but as a journalist, I am unfortunately not surprised. The shooting at Club Q is a tragic yet predictable outcome of demonizing LGBTQ people and using children as political pawns.
When I first reported on the right’s anti-LGBTQ “grooming” narrative back in April, I was afraid that this hateful rhetoric would lead to violence, and now my worst fears have been confirmed. For months, bad-faith actors on cable TV and social media have relentlessly attacked our community, whipping up hysteria and constant threats, much of which has unfortunately been spread and legitimized by certain politicians like Boebert.
Rating: 5