LGBTQ+ People Take Up Arms as Fears of Right-wing Hate Groups Grow

[Bradskii]

You won't find alot of sympathy for that point of view in the US, unfortunately. Americans seem to be comfortable with killing to an inordinate degree. Periodically offering their kids up to the Molech of the firearms industry is just one manifestation of that, but another is the general "Make my day" attitude towards crime.

Few in the US stop to think how it is that one of the wealthiest societies in the world has so much violent crime. Instead it's easier to focus on this "Dirty Harry" type mentality that resigns itself to killing and being killed.

It's exceptional to experience armed robbery in Australia. But my son-in-law was a bar manager many years ago and the place was robbed by a punk with what looked like a gun. In the US, any given customer would be pulling out his piece and it's the OK Corral. Any maybe my daughter would be a widow. As it was, he got away with a few bucks and we left it to the police to sort him out.

 

[Ana the Ist]

People use it as a first resort is the problem. They retaliate first. Like the customer recently who shot someone a few times as the guy was robbing people in a restaurant. A bad dude no doubt. But sheesh, let him walk with a few bucks...

I'm sorry but no...

Police get killed every year in the country by violent criminals. Civilians even moreso. Whenever I point out that we don't get outraged at the death of Police people always say the same thing "Well its the job they chose and it's the risk they take and that's just part of the occupation."

Well if you're willing to point a gun in someone's face to rob them of "a few bucks"....and that includes a fake gun if I'm thinking of the same incident you are....then guess what? That's part of the choice that idiot made, that's part of the risk he took. Occupational hazard. I feel sorry for the guy who shot him because he's clearly upset when he realized it was a fake gun....but not at all sorry for the idiot who robbed everyone. He made his choice, he got what he deserved. Occupational hazard.

Edit- Honestly, it's such a bizarre backwards take to see people side with criminals. People who literally victimize people. People who actually commit injustice. The argument here is that everyone should just comply....comply with someone with no authority, comply with being victimized. Yet when a cop points a gun in a dangerous criminals' face....the same people act like compliance isn't necessary, the cop is endlessly scrutinized, and claims of injustice get thrown around like confetti. It's a very inverted perspective of reality.

 

[Matt5]

LGBTQ+ People Take Up Arms as Fears of Right-wing Hate Groups Grow

One group in New Hampshire says it is providing firearms skills to queer people so they can protect themselves.

www.advocate.com

Far right-wing radicals in New Hampshire and elsewhere may find themselves outgunned if a trend of LGBTQ+ people taking up arms in the state spreads nationwide.

Fin Smith, an organizer with Rainbow Reload, recently allowed a New Hampshire Public Radio reporter to tag along with their group on a training mission at Pawtuckaway State Park. In light of a rising chorus of threats targeting LGBTQ+ people, including those stemming from hate groups, Rainbow Reload provides a controlled environment for queer gun enthusiasts and experts to practice firearms skills.

The group says it aims to give people the skills they need to protect themselves.

“There’s been an uptick in hate crimes, there’s been an uptick in groups that have been protesting drag story times and drag shows, and it felt like I needed to learn how to protect myself,” another member, Jamie, told NHPR, holding her Christmas gift, a pistol.

“I recognize the temperature is freezing, and this is not the most comfortable,” Smith said to a handful of participants, NHPR reports. “But if it’s raining, we’re training. If it’s snowing, we’re going.”

Some club members say they would have liked to join a shooting club sooner but avoided them because they felt unwelcomed.

Despite a general societal shift in recent years towards the normalizing and public approval of marriage equality for LGBTQ+ couples in American culture, Republicans and those on the right have recently attempted to falsely isolate the community as a collection of “groomers” with a “woke liberal agenda” aimed at indoctrinating kids into seeking medical treatment to change their gender identity.

According to a recent Pew study, noted by NHPR, almost half of Republicans own guns, compared to one-in-five Democrats.

Members of Rainbow Reload are diverse in their opinions and don’t advocate for gun policies, the station reports.




I say, bravo.

Their message is similar to that of a group I've donated to in the past, Pink Pistols, who have the slogan "armed gays don't get bashed" and "pick on someone your own caliber".

I think movements like this are a win-win from multiple angles.

1) it'll make people (who are otherwise resistant to any/all forms of gun control) rethink their positions and be willing to reconsider and entertain some common sense measures (even if for the wrong the reasons)

2) it'll quickly expose the hypocrites who tout gun rights, but then all of the sudden want some gun control when a group they don't like starts getting some. (like California in the 60's... when Republican Don Mulford proposed bans on carrying guns because the original black panthers started carrying them to "police the police" in their own neighborhoods.

3) it allows people who are in a vulnerable position to defend themselves (which is the most important reason)

Some people have noted the connection between the LGBTQ+ community and school shootings.

The biggest threat to the LGBTQ+ community comes from women. Mostly they complain about trans-women. Even lesbians complain about trans-women. There is talk of kicking the "T" out of LGBTQ. I expect that women will push for laws that restrict the Ts in general and at schools.

What about the so called radical right or far right-wing radicals? Isn't this anybody who didn't vote for Biden? The Left will do far more damage to the LGBTQ+ community than the right. What do you think the defund-the-police policy is doing? Then there is the failure to prosecute policies, and letting criminals out of jail policies. All of these affect the quality of life in cities where most LGBTQ+ live.

You're scrambling for a few pennies when the dollars are right over there.

I would like to point out two nasty little verses in Isaiah 24:

Isaiah 24:5 The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant.
Isaiah 24:6 Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left.

In other words, due to our nuttiness, God will bring our enemies against us - packing nukes.

 

[Bradskii]

Some people have noted the connection between the LGBTQ+ community and school shootings.

Just...what?

 

[Nithavela]

Just...what?

Oh, it's simple. Since one Transgender Person has comitted a mass shooting, this will now put everyone in that community under suspicion of being the next mass shooter.

It's like playing violent video games, or listening to metal music, or wearing black. To the conservative mind, the only thing that could make someone do such heinous things is to be "different" from themselves. So any difference to the norm must be cast under suspicion.

 

[FireDragon76]

Oh, it's simple. Since one Transgender Person has comitted a mass shooting, this will now put everyone in that community under suspicion of being the next mass shooter.

It's like playing violent video games, or listening to metal music, or wearing black. To the conservative mind, the only thing that could make someone do such heinous things is to be "different" from themselves. So any difference to the norm must be cast under suspicion.

Because nothing is ever problematic or wrong in conservative Christian communities. It's always "the Other" that is in the wrong.

 

[ozso]

I'm sure the NRA is ecstatic, and gun sellers are popping champagne bottles, at this turn of the tide. Look who's going to be buying guns and pushing for gun rights now.

 

[rambot]

How utterly ridiculous for a majority member to say because gays have it better than in North Korea gay people should keep shtum.

A gay American should have the exact same freedoms as straight Americans...not gay Americans should have more rights than a gay or straight north Korean.


Seriously?

 

[ThatRobGuy]

Any person living in a free western country 'has it made'. In fact our privilege is so great we can moan about the smallest of things on message boards, Tic Toc, YouTube etc. Try moaning about it in North Korea. Try having to walk a mile every day just to have enough water to use then come back and moan how about how bad you have it.

I'm not a fan of comparing us to the "lowest common denominator" countries.

Often times, that's a disingenuous tactic used to try to squash legitimate complaints about the state of current domestic affairs by people who prefer certain status quos.

One of the most common examples is:
When people critique the fact that some CEOs are giving themselves massive bonuses while no decent raises are being given to their employees, a common retort is "well, technically that janitor making $12/hour would actually be considered rich in <insert impoverished African country here>"

 

[ThatRobGuy]

In any case it looks like the community is making it's mark already. I guess violence is just the new norm, for everyone.

Nashville police revealed that the 28-year-old who shot and killed six people at the Covenant School, including three children, identified as transgender and had a detailed manifesto to attack the Christian academy.

Would the "crazed lone wolf" defense apply here? That's often the defense that gets used for adherents to certain ideologies and groups when someone in the group commits acts like this.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

Some people have noted the connection between the LGBTQ+ community and school shootings.

?

I'm not aware of any sort of trend in LGBTQ perpetrators.


The only trend I'm aware of is this.

The biggest threat to the LGBTQ+ community comes from women. Mostly they complain about trans-women. Even lesbians complain about trans-women. There is talk of kicking the "T" out of LGBTQ. I expect that women will push for laws that restrict the Ts in general and at schools.

I think that's conflating two different issues.

While I have, in the past, mentioned that the "T" is kind of out of place in the "LGBT" (since the "T" is a gender identity, while the other 3 letters are for sexual orientation which is something different). I suspect the reason for the alliance is due to the fact that the attacks and criticisms coming from the people opposed were largely the same, and there's "strength in numbers" so to speak.

As far as "threats", not all "threats" are equal. While it could be very well true that there could be a large number of women opposed to specific facets like changing rooms and sports (which, there's reasonable debate to be had there), the threat of actual physical violence against trans people comes largely from men.

 

[durangodawood]

I am not sure they are "marginalized"

this isn't 1950. Gays have a legal right to marry in the US.....

There's lots of people in the US, with exaggerated access to power, who would prefer to roll that back asap. The law leads (for now), but society still lags. For sure it seems a lot better than 1950 tho.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

People use it as a first resort is the problem. They retaliate first. Like the customer recently who shot someone a few times as the guy was robbing people in a restaurant. A bad dude no doubt. But sheesh, let him walk with a few bucks...

I think that kinda shows a bit of a skewed perception with regards to money.

What some of us see as a "few bucks" may not be so inconsequential to some people. For me, I'm not going to go out of my way to get myself into a gun fight over $100...I've got more money in the bank, I can just hit the ATM later after I file a police report. For some folks, that $100 could be the difference in feeding or not feeding their kids for the week.


Plus the guy doing the robbery had a gun himself, meaning there's no way of knowing if he was a "take the money and leave" or "take the money and leave no witnesses"/"loose cannon" types.

While it's true that the majority of retail establishment robberies just involve brandishing, the percentage of robberies that involve actual discharging of the weapon or some other injuring factor to the victim is still large enough that's it's not insignificant.

Per the DOJ stats:
11.8% actually discharge their weapon (some of that could be firing at the floor or ceiling to intimidate the victim and not directly aiming at people)
13.4% injure the victim in some fashion (which may or may not be due to the aforementioned discharge)

So it's far from a guarantee that "if you just comply, they won't hurt you"

 

[ThatRobGuy]

What did you donate? Cash?

They don't directly accept donations through their primary org, but they accept donations via their partner org Blazing Sword (which facilitates merch sales and direct donations which is used for hooking people up with licensed instructors and partnering with gun ranges that won't be hostile to gay people)

That's an aspect that most people don't think of.

If a gay person wants to learn about guns, carry them for defense, etc... you get to some rural parts where they may not be so "welcomed" by the owners and other people at the range, as quite frankly, those environments do tend to be very conservative.

In my experience frequenting ranges, you have the "far-right conservative-leaning" ones, and the "libertarian-leaning" ones...the latter is much more likely to not care about a person's orientation.

That can go for other groups as well...
I remember going into one where they were selling silhouette targets of zombies wearing turbans, and two zombies wearing rainbow shirts holding hands...and there were no shortage of confederate flag bumper stickers in the parking lot... if you were a Muslim person or a gay person walking into that range and seeing that, you're going to high-tail it outta there as quick as you can. I'm not gay or Muslim, and I still opted to leave after seeing it and decided they weren't getting my business.

 

[Nithavela]

Because nothing is ever problematic or wrong in conservative Christian communities. It's always "the Other" that is in the wrong.

To be fair, that kind of thing holds true in almost any community, the human mindset being what it is.

 

[Blade]

pffft the tell is in "right-wing" says it all. As if no hate from anyone on the left how odd huh. I can do a simple search and find some and on youtube, google but ok.

But know this any one that "providing firearms skills to queer people so they can protect themselves." you most likely get what you expect and it will be your fault. I know some gay people treated worse yet never once needed to get firearms skills to protect themselves. There are cities as in Chicago where young kids babies black killing black before I was born.. sorry we just can't blame one side its the left and rights problem. Those firearms and skills keep killing.

Now some facts are this is not a nation wide problem not even close. Maybe we would want to help those struggling to understand what so many are going through and why they keep wanting to end their life because they don't understand all these feelings. Or help those that made the wrong choice yet were told it was the right one. Hello? I know more then I can count. Praise GOD glory to Jesus Christ He no matter who they are always helps heals sets free.. not right not left for God so loved the world. Forgive me I just don't care to blame left or right. Talking about helping yet to just blame one side were hurting someone.. yet were trying to help? No offense

 

[durangodawood]

....I know some gay people treated worse yet never once needed to get firearms skills to protect themselves.....

Thats what I keep telling the straight people! But they carry on buying guns and ammo hand over fist.

 

[Aldebaran]

People use it as a first resort is the problem. They retaliate first. Like the customer recently who shot someone a few times as the guy was robbing people in a restaurant. A bad dude no doubt. But sheesh, let him walk with a few bucks...

There have been many cases where a guy will rob a place at gunpoint, just like the one you're talking about did. Then on their way out the door, they turn around and shoot the person they just robbed, either to eliminate a witness, or to just "see what it would feel like". The incident you're referring to could have ended up far worse than just letting "him walk with a few bucks". (Yeah, I realize his gun turned out to be fake, but that's not something I'd want to count on when a gun of any type is being used in a crime.)

But even if that's all that would have happened, would you want to live in a society where criminals can commit armed robberies on a regular basis, confident that they'll succeed because nobody will oppose them? Would you feel safe going to a store or restaurant knowing that someone with a gun can come in and point it at your head and take all your money (along with your ID and other documents in your wallet)? Or would you feel safer in public knowing that criminals are the ones who have something to fear, and are far less likely to commit crimes as a result?

 

[Ana the Ist]

Oh, it's simple. Since one Transgender Person has comitted a mass shooting, this will now put everyone in that community under suspicion of being the next mass shooter.

It's like playing violent video games, or listening to metal music, or wearing black. To the conservative mind, the only thing that could make someone do such heinous things is to be "different" from themselves. So any difference to the norm must be cast under suspicion.

Two times. A trans shooter in Colorado killed 1 injured 8.

 

[Ana the Ist]

A gay American should have the exact same freedoms as straight Americans...not gay Americans should have more rights than a gay or straight north Korean.

And they do.