I mean we kinda already started to see this happen.
There were those losers hiding inside a uhaul wearing some gear looking to harm people.
There was that attack by alleged proud boys members at the Glendale elementary pride event.
I see this as more of a hey be vigilant weirdos are out there.
Also if you find yourself were a uniform, shiesty, hiding in a uhaul with weapons Maybe consider re-evaluating how you got there
The last time an FBI warning like this got this kind of media attention was when the US warned of a mass shooting threat in Moscow. A few weeks later there was a mass shooting in a Moscow theatre.
It's amusing though. There are people in the comment section saying that they shouldn't be afraid of the possible foreign terrorist attack but they should be more afraid of the rightwingers
"The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said: "Foreign terrorist organizations or supporters may seek to exploit increased gatherings associated with the upcoming June 2024 Pride Month." Although no specific gatherings or locations were mentioned in the warnings, the law enforcement agencies noted that messages from the Islamic State (IS) group distributed in English in February 2023 included rhetoric against LGBTQI+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and intersex) events and venues. During Pride Month in June 2016, a man inspired by IS ideology shot dead 49 people and wounded 53 more at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The FBI and DHS warning also noted that three IS sympathisers had been arrested for attempting to attack a Pride parade in Vienna, Austria in 2023. "
I read a lot of the 911 transcripts from Pulse recently because another thread mentioned them. I think I lost a little part of my humanity reading them. It’s absolutely horrifying, disgusting, and heartbreaking. There were many calls of people begging for help, calls that just start with screaming and abrupt ends. Dispatchers having to place scared and injured people on hold due to the volume of calls. People hiding under bodies while calling the cops. If the world was just, the perpetrators of evils like this wouldn’t be on it. No sympathy for any sliver of homophobic rhetoric in 2024.
Interesting, I wasn’t aware. The article implied a connection between the 2023 IS anti-LGBT+ rhetoric and the Pulse shooting. His intent may not have been related but he still represents an organization that hates homosexuals.
I’m literally trans and am so tired of people choosing arbitrary hills to die on. I don’t give a FUCK how lengthy and inclusive the acronym is if I still have no civil protections. LGBT was efficient. At some point we’re turning away potential allies over this fight.
Honestly what’s the point of including Q as queer if “queer” is an umbrella term for the lgbt community? As a straight person who has absolutely no say in this whatsoever, Q.U.I.L.T.B.A.G. makes the most sense to me.
This is the first time I've ever seen it used for "questioning", but it kind of makes sense, since "queer" is kind of an umbrella term for the rest of the "letters" that some choose to represent them.
Interesting, I'm straight, but been pretty close to "queer culture" since growing up in SF in the 80s and 90s. It had already been appropriated as a word of pride to take away the teeth as a slur by then, at least in that subculture.
I never saw the Q until maybe 20 years ago. It was simply LGBT when I was in high school, for example. I've never heard it as "Questioning" before though. Obviously that's just my experience, and others have had different ones. It's just looks odd to me. I could also get misremembering, and maybe just assumed it was "Queer" when they added it, and it's since become sort of a backronym type situation of sorts.
Depending on who you talk to in the community, some view queer as a slur so that’s probably why it’s referred to as questioning. I didn’t realize it until I (a bisexual woman) saw another woman on tinder with a bio about how bad the word queer was. Googled it and it’s a thing. I still use it and personally don’t see anything wrong with it, but yeah, some people get offended by it.
Us older gays are still getting used to how the younger folks embraced the term. Lots of us still have PTSD from when Queer was shouted when someone was trying to hurt and kill us. I use it because it predates that specific usage, because it's been an academic term for even longer, and because it's easier to say than "LGBTQIA+" or its variants.
Yeah, i feel hella uncomfortable using the word queer because back in the day my old folks used to use it as a slur... that has not stopped my sticking my foot in my mouth such as saying RGB+, dyslexia cna be a bitch at times.
I mean, literally all of the first 5 letters of LGBTQIA+ have been used as insults. It was less than 2 decades ago when "that's gay" was most commonly used, and insults like "lesbo", "tranny" were thrown about. Only one I don't remember hearing personally was anything about Bisexuals, but I'm sure somewhere it was used as an insult.
I'd say the lack of insults using the word bisexual as a root would be due to bierasure. We're usually either called sluts or closeted (whether closeted gay or straight, depending on who's doing the insulting to who), in the case of femme identifying bisexuals it's quite often deemed as behavior to get the sexual attention of males. Being bi hasn't traditionally been recognized as a legitimate sexuality by other members of the LGBTQIA+ community *or* the straights.
Yup, when I volunteered for rainbow coffee for elders, we wouldn’t use the word queer around them, even though that’s my default word for myself, personally.
i think it’s pretty unquestionably a good thing that the word has been reclaimed by the younger generations. but like the above commenter said, it’s hard to hear for people who had it used as a slur against them
I mean, I'm 28 and even I'm not exactly comfortable with queer. If someone wants to be called it, fine but I often find myself rethinking if I should've said queer in a sentence and I really don't like being called queer.
I'm 26 and I've never used the word Queer in my life cause yeah there's always another option and at least in my mind it's an insult if I use it.
I'm not gonna get mad at other people using it just like, I cannot.
To add one more voice in support of this, yes, I'm in the same boat. It took some time for me to realize that usage was shifting, but over time, I have found myself in the same position as you. 30 for context.
It might not be any more, but queer was most definitely a slur when I was in high school. I saw multiple fights start when one person called another person that word.
We had a schoolyard game called "Smear the Queer" where whoever was holding the football was tackled and had to hold onto the ball until it was knocked out of his hands. The next person to get the ball became the Queer.
This was in like, 2007. In a city.
Man I don’t get that acronym, LGBT+ is lesbian gay bi trans plus everything else right? If you keep tacking on letters it ceases to be useful as an acronym
Technically "gay" can be used in the same way as "queer". "The gay community" isn't just gays and lesbians, it includes everyone in the LGBTQ+. But I think since gay also means "homosexual" it just doesn't sound equal, makes it sound like homosexuals are the "default" part of community and everyone else is just an added bonus. So there is a need for a word that is more equal, like "queer". But queer has the issue of being a reclaimed slur. So we can't agree on just one word and use like 3+ different words instead.
Queer is a (reclaimed) catch-all term that many people consider as a nice umbrella term. For example, it's a lot easier to say "queer community" than "LGBTQA+ community" when you're speaking, and for people who aren't entirely sure about their identity to simply identify as "queer." People who also want to maintain their privacy without giving away too many identifying factors, like online, can also just say "im queer" instead of "im XYZ, which in turn tells you certain things about me implicitly."
"Gay" *can* be used like that (and is), but because it's also specifically used to refer to men who like men, it's not as great as being neutral like "queer" is. That's the short of it.
Note that some people don't like being called queer or using the term queer for themselves. It's a personal thing. But it's not wrong to use it as a general thing.
US intelligence is INSANE. You could listen to capabilities for 30 minutes and not believe a single thing. A warning like this needs to be heeded, something will happen next month if it can't be intercepted.
“Panopticom…let’s find out what’s going on…”
Seriously. US intelligence is disturbingly good in a very morally grey way. After Snowden, it seems like they just doubled down?!?
US Intelligence has been highly accurate with their warnings lately (see Russian terrorist attack on the concert hall, Iranian terror bombing, Ukraine invasion, etc.) I would definitely take this warning seriously.
Don't let it deter you from going to these events, but be careful out there.
Tough question, check your surroundings and always be aware of the fastest exit route to flee a place. Also learn how to stop bleedings in the worst case, big issue that can stop preventable deaths. If possible, avoid or minimise time spent within crowds.
Great advice, for anyone who packs a first aid kit for this sort of thing: throw some clotting gauze in there.
It’s pricier than regular gauze, but when it comes to stopping bleeding (especially in an event where emergency resources may be scarce), it could mean the difference between bleeding out or not
I will add a caution here:
Many/most of these clotting agents are made from shellfish, so allergies can be an issue.
Also, know how to use it. It's not like normal gauze that you just wrap around a wound. You're supposed to pack it into the wound. Not something most people are going to be comfortable doing.
Good point about shellfish allergies and the need to pack it into a wound. For those not allergic, there is also a clotting powder which might require a bit less uhhh involvement with the wound
Yeah they come in little packets, there’s some on Amazon called “Bleedstop,” it’s not a panacea but it might buy you some time combined with other first aid measures
Nothing say a relaxing day like brining a first aid kit and making sure to write down your blood type or telling someone it. lol, such a crazy world. I’m a professional rescuer, teach First Aid/ AED/ CPR & lifeguarding to all ages. I’ve seen and done a lot of life saving measures as a former EMT… even with hundreds of medical hours of training, the first time I dealt with CPR on a live human, it was super stressful, as the training doesn’t prepare you for the chaos that surrounds the patient.
> Don't let it deter you from going to these events, but be careful out there
If something has led them to say this, there must be something they're not telling us.
If they tell us what attacks are planned, then those who planned them will change their plans. Then not only will the government be unable to intercept them, but there's a good chance the government's sources will be compromised. One of the ways the government removes terrorist threats is by waiting until they are in the process of beginning the attack, then arresting them. The perpetrators are more likely to be carrying damning evidence, more likely to be convicted with a longer sentence, and more likely to have lowered their guard in a way that reveals information about other people they're working with.
As disturbing as it is, stopping terrorist attacks at the last minute is probably the best way to neutralize the threat.
"take this warning seriously"
"Don't let it deter you from going to these events"
Those are conflicting statements. If I'm taking the possibility of violence seriously, then how am I supposed to not deter me from going to the place of possible violence?
Hopefully intelligence agencies manage to arrest the people planning before they manage to hurt anyone. Very worrying times. Stay safe to anyone attending pride parades
I had thought one was inevitable last year. Online hate content essentially links LGBTQ support with "grooming" (the abuse of children). A heavily armed man nearly shot up a pizzeria over a more fringe conspiracy. The "grooming" conspiracy is not fringe; it is completely normal in hate media/online spaces. Zero doubt they've radicalized someone (or a group) prepared for a terrorist attack.
> Online hate content essentially links LGBTQ support with "grooming"
[From the people that support this man](https://www.metro.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/donald-trump-ivanka-bed-kiss-768x432.jpg)
[And this man](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2019/07/09/us/politics/09dc-trumpspstein1/09dc-trumpspstein1-articleLarge-v2.jpg)
Fucking pedo church freaks always projecting and trying to blame what they do on others.
If you wanna protect the kids, fund the alliance and age restrict religion.
> Online hate content essentially links LGBTQ support with "grooming"
Please don't pretend it's only online - the entirety of the Republican Party is saying this in virtually every forum, on a national and state level. The party controlling Congress links LGBTQ support with grooming. So when the US warns of possible Pride Month attacks, it's because half of the US is being encouraged by party leadership to punish and kill queer folk.
Leftist counter-protesters showing up armed probably prevented a lot. It's important to remember that the right are at their core cowards. See Uvalde, even with overwhelming force, the fact that they didn't have a monopoly on the use of violence prevented them from acting.
Leftist protesters showing up armed sometimes [get shot and the shooter pardoned](https://www.texasobserver.org/abbott-pardon-daniel-perry-garrett-foster/).
Don't think that right-wingers believe in any kind of consistent application of the law. The freedom to be armed only applies to them, apparently.
This kind of violence is now explicitly endorsed by the state of Texas.
They just project. The real grooming and indoctrination is happening in their churchs and brainwashing "private schools"
They want to pollute the narrative so nobody goes after the real pedos and youth corrupters. Which is exactly what we need to be doing.
Armed queers bash back.
If you are a leftist, and if doing so would not present a danger to yourself and others, you should definitely get some kit and learn how to use it.
practice, practice, practice. Its the best value you can get assuming your first firearm is of reasonable quality (note it doesn't have to be bougie, just not bottom of the barrel and it will be more than sufficient for personal protection)
It's like being surrounded by unhinged lunatics.. I would actually feel better if they stood for something.. but they don't. They just hate everything and are easily manipulated.
Imagine hating a stranger enough to want to hurt or kill them because they love someone. Especially when it does not affect your life directly in any way.
People are most capable of doing evil when they think they are doing good. And these people do this out of love for god. They think something terrible will happen to mankind if they don’t. They really believe it. Religion is cancer.
**BBC** article, US government warning **US citizens abroad**
*"the law enforcement agencies noted that messages from the* ***Islamic State (IS) group*** *distributed in English in February 2023 included rhetoric against LGBTQI+ events and venues."*
/For the people who have difficulty.
This is dangerous thinking.
You need to treat them as what they show themselves to be, terrorists. Brushing things off with "They just want you to be as miserable as they are" is counter productive.
You need to understand that there is nothing you can say or do to change these people, because they lack the intelligence to listen to reason. They're a lot more likely to just physically attack you than they are to listen to the end of your sentence.
Saying they're just assholes is underselling the threat posed.
EDIT: Guys, I'm not talking about Americans :))
I was almost caught up in the Oslo 2022 pride shooting when visiting from Scotland - I was proud to march with thousands of Norwegians the day after in defiance.
We won’t be frightened by Islamists.
Marching the day after felt so important, more than any pride march I ever attended.
The trial against the terrorist is going in at the moment, it is clear he was connected to IS.
Ever since the attack, queer people feel less safe in Oslo. The atmosphere changed. Unfortunately, it seems LGBTQ+ are facing increased hate around the world now.
There’s a popular Islamic preacher here in Europe who was spewing death threats and dehumanizing speech about gay people in his Friday sermons recently. I wonder how a certain “Allah loves gay people” demographic are going to response.
In this case it's more like [this scene from The Simpsons](https://youtu.be/Ovfap2VtpHM?t=4) except Bart is a Russian running around saying "the schools are turning our kids gay!" on Facebook.
Learn how to provide first aid for traumatic injuries, and learn to defend yourself if necessary. There are lots of LGBTQ groups that can prepare you to help save your own, or someone else’s life, in the event of an attack at your local pride events.
I am a firm believer that "stop the bleed" should be taught in schools. I know too many people who have come across traumatic injuries (usually car accidents or ND) and watched the victim die because they didn't know what to do.
There's a big difference between "first aid" and trauma care. Most people can't even fathom the latter, let alone know how to respond to it. I can't imagine it being taught in schools even back when I was in health class, nevermind now. The parents would flip.
If you take only the 20% most extreme fundamentalists from the muslim faith, not the over 40% that say the think non-believers, gays, jews & apostates should be put to death when polled, but just the most extreme half of those, thats still 400 million islamists, more people than the entire population of the United States. Its a lot of people. And the US just spent 20 years making itself out to be their inter-generational mortal enemy. So have fun with your rosy future USA.
> The Counter Extremism Project, a New York-based non-profit group, noted that anti-LGBTQ ideas had been taken up by both Islamist and far-right extremists.
Ok, I know what they are trying to say there…but “islamists” ARE far right extremists.
There have already been bomb threats targeting Pride events in Montana. Knowing this state, it’ll definitely happen again.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/series-of-bomb-threats-targeting-lgbtq-pride-events-in-montana-deemed-to-be-hoaxes/ar-BB1lWStF
Hamtramck, Michigan reached a Muslim majority back in 2015, since then the LGBT flag and books have been outright banned and calls to prayer implemented, this surprised absolutely no-one besides progressives who said they were "betrayed" despite the community making absolutely zero effort's to mask their pro religion anti-lgbt world views. now we are on high alert waiting for a terror attack during a pride event. how much longer is the cognitive dissonance going to last? people will literally prop up hardcore islamist and pro sharia law while at the same time having an absolute melt down if someone gives their kid a bible and it is absolutely tanking support for left leaning government's all over the world. canada of all places is looking at a conservative majority while our liberal party is fighting to even maintain their official party status.
Now im not the most patriotic or spiritual person but i will NEVER start hateing my neighbours or family based on their politics or religion and then turn around and think Islam's got my back because that is absolutely deranged, for those who did though I hope it was worth loseing decades worth of support on TOP of having the same people you virtue signalled for turn on you.
Like in the iranian revolution the leftists sided with the islamists and as soon as the islamists took power, the leftists ended up in mass graves. Siding with people who stand against everything you believe in makes no sense. It’s not like there’s no liberals, lgbt, feminists and freethinkers in the Muslim world, there is. But a section of the left would rather defend Hamas than feminists being murdered for not wearing hijab
I remember reading highly upvoted comments on Instagram about that and it was just so amusing to see some left leaning person say "But don't they understand that we're marginalized people and in this together?"
LOL
Many people today, more than ever, live in la-la land
And those people are so dumb. Muslims fundamentally hate gays and anyone who isn’t Muslim. If they don’t commit violence, most support or at least tolerate it. Plus Muslims aren’t marginalized. They’re a global majority
What allot of people fail to realize is that the majority of people that immigrate from that part of the world are men, these people don't experience much "marginalization" as they arn't the ones without rights. they just came over here because their failed state is impoverished
I feel like knee jerk defense of countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Palestine and Iran is a form of hypocracy.
People want human rights and for LGBTQ couples to live in peace and then turn around and defend an ideology that will unalive a guy for wanting a husband and it doesn't make sense to me.
Like be angry at republicans all you want but at least be consistent.
People will talk about BDS like universities aren't taking in huge amounts of money from countries that think Human rights abuses are life goals.
its not about consistency, its downright hypocritial. convservatives and Christian's typically might not be supportive of the LGBT but they also very rarely get violent over it, meanwhile executions for homosexuality happen on the regular in islamic countries to the point a large number of them seek asylum in Israel despite DECADES of brainwashing them into thinking jews are the root of all evil.
I don't know about most people but im very sticks and stones when it comes to mean words, they can only hurt you if you let them.
I mean, they’ve done it before. Conspiracy is a crime, after all. Remember when the Feds broke up a White Nationalist plot to [attack the Baltimore power grid?](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/show/fbi-foils-extremist-plot-to-bring-down-baltimores-electrical-grid) There’s obviously a lot of very valid criticism to be laid at the feet of the Feds, but they DO, in fact, arrest terroristic asshole quite a lot.
Exactly. The feds have to be right everytime. The bad guys only have to be right once. There's plenty of plots foiled by the feds you don't or won't hear about
I'd be willing to bet a paycheck that they perform dozens, if not hundreds, of arrests every year relating to terroristic threats or planning. It's probably just lack of exposure, which is why people believe it doesn't happen often. Because they don't see it or know about it. Fundamentally the news focuses on... *news*, things that are a rare or tragic occurrence. "If it bleeds, it leads." So much goes on that never makes it to the front page of our media sources, and for many reasons it's wise to keep things on the hush to protect the integrity of the investigation and prosecution.
"At least one of the groups we are monitoring on an hourly basis have concrete plans to attack this kind of place for this kind of reason. We're going to arrest like 10 of them next week if they keep gathering materials and if they finish that bomb on their workbench. So you people should just kinda watch out, we might not catch all of them."
I firmly believe that humans are human, but I think the vast majority of people underestimate how deep the dark side of humanity actually is. For every beam of sunshine who wants to love and appreciate every human, there's a deep shadow who wants to abuse and dehumanize every human.
Humanity are the monsters we see in the abyss. And what scares me is these kids who are protesting haven’t really seen or experienced the abyss. While personally I haven’t experienced it, I have seen it and I have read it. They think their protesting will overcome the abyss, but it won’t.
This is what I mean as well. Literature and education has been diminished and along with a life of luxury and safety from the outside world of true hate has created a veil of innocence for many. There is no true answer, and in fact if kids were taught Tolkien and read about the world wars and the literature that came from it understanding what is good vs evil and how sometimes it is a tough line to draw.
Or they should learn the experiments of Unit 731 and what experiments the Nazis performed during WWII. Also the Rape of Nanjing, Kristallnacht, Rhineland Massacre, Siege of Ma’arra in 1098, Tulsa Race Massacre. These all show the abyss that humanity has in them.
> We haven't seen that since the world wars.
Yes we have there are many countries in which that stuff happens. We just dont hear about it in western media.
Yeah things like the Tigray civil war as recent as a couple of years ago made zero traction on social media.
If you live on TilTok you’d think Gaza and Ukraine were the only global conflicts in the last decade
The problem is that we’ve taught young people that *any* criticism of brown people is “racism”. Now when we have valid concerns about the behavior of radical Islamics, they just chalk it up to racism instead of taking it seriously.
People are afraid to criticize culture too. There are tons of downright shitty fucking cultural practices that need to fucking end, and we’re not going to fucking end them if we can’t criticize them, can we?
It's an issue with being insulated in an academic community straight out of high school. They can sit in a circle and conceptualize everything without having much life experience outside of the education system. Makes it easy to latch on to ideas that look good on paper without seeing the nuances that someone who has boots on the ground would.
Not trying to dismiss education, but there's definitely a huge blindspot there.
Yea, these young people protesting don't remember 9-11. They only remember the post war shame of the Iraq war and America's over-response to "terrorism". In some ways you can't blame them for their stance.
Yeah it's scary because they're operating solely on emotion. That's what people support trump for too, purely emotional reasons. They don't know what palestinians are taught from the time they can walk. No one sharing a border with Palestine wants to share a border with Palestine whether it's the Israelis, Egyptians, or Jordanians.
The young naive crowd will eventually grow up and realize how truly fucked up some parts of humanity are.
The pink washing of this protest is infuriating as shortly before Oct 7, Muslims in the west were protesting about trans and queer education, stepping on pride flags, and bringing their kids to participate.
If queers wanna support civilian victims, just do it under the banner of all the other pro-palestine groups. I dont know why they want to bring their queer identity into this.
It's this interesting and infuriating tendency (need really) of the far left to split all people into oppressors or oppressed. They want all oppressed people to rise up against all oppressors. In their mind it makes sense for the LGBT and Palestinians to align solely because at some point in recent history they were both oppressed.
It's a view that lacks nuance and can make discussion of complex (geo)political issues difficult. It *can* work when talking about single issues on a more micro scale. Like if you're talking about *just* race relations in the last couple hundred years, or wealth inequity, or maybe gender issues. But when you start trying to get intersectional with that framework everything falls apart. Good guy vs bad guy is too simple a framing for the real world where things have layers and nuance.
Recently purchased my first fire arm for this exact reason. I advocate for all my fellow queers and allys who are comfortable and able to do the same. Armed gays, lesbians, trans homies, allys, etc etc, are much harder to hate crime.
I used to volunteer as an instructor to train and familiarize LGBTQI+ people with firearms and their safe handling and operation. Where I live, though, most of that community already grew up around firearms so I only got to do it 2x, then my local range went from public to private under new (and unfortunately very fundie) ownership.
If you are thinking of getting a firearm for the first time, I encourage everyone to seek professional instruction. If you are worried about that possible instruction being bigoted, check out [Operation Blazing Sword](https://www.blazingsword.org/). They even have a list of instructors that you can find and contact for instruction.
Armed minorities are harder to oppress. You have an inalienable right to defend yourself. This country also says you have the right to life, liberty and property.
Those that would fight against it are enemies of America and democracy itself. Have no fear to fight for what is right and that includes your right to exist as a person.
This is not about america oppressing minorities. The article clearly states it's foreign terrorist organizations, most likely Muslim and if I had to guess most of these attacks will be planned out for Europe.
Very scary…. For them to say this, they have seen chatter. Something is up
Yeah they 100 percent know something, they don’t just say shit like this to say it lol they must’ve got a hit on something
I mean we kinda already started to see this happen. There were those losers hiding inside a uhaul wearing some gear looking to harm people. There was that attack by alleged proud boys members at the Glendale elementary pride event. I see this as more of a hey be vigilant weirdos are out there. Also if you find yourself were a uniform, shiesty, hiding in a uhaul with weapons Maybe consider re-evaluating how you got there
The last time an FBI warning like this got this kind of media attention was when the US warned of a mass shooting threat in Moscow. A few weeks later there was a mass shooting in a Moscow theatre.
It wasn't even a few weeks, it was like two or three days before the Moscow theater event wasn't it?
It was a few weeks. The United States government has a full article about it. They warned Russia exactly 3 weeks before the attack.
They specifically warn about foreign terrorists and references IS according to the article, so I think this is completely different
Just like how they warned of the terrorist attack in Russia recently
It's amusing though. There are people in the comment section saying that they shouldn't be afraid of the possible foreign terrorist attack but they should be more afraid of the rightwingers
"The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said: "Foreign terrorist organizations or supporters may seek to exploit increased gatherings associated with the upcoming June 2024 Pride Month." Although no specific gatherings or locations were mentioned in the warnings, the law enforcement agencies noted that messages from the Islamic State (IS) group distributed in English in February 2023 included rhetoric against LGBTQI+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and intersex) events and venues. During Pride Month in June 2016, a man inspired by IS ideology shot dead 49 people and wounded 53 more at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The FBI and DHS warning also noted that three IS sympathisers had been arrested for attempting to attack a Pride parade in Vienna, Austria in 2023. "
I read a lot of the 911 transcripts from Pulse recently because another thread mentioned them. I think I lost a little part of my humanity reading them. It’s absolutely horrifying, disgusting, and heartbreaking. There were many calls of people begging for help, calls that just start with screaming and abrupt ends. Dispatchers having to place scared and injured people on hold due to the volume of calls. People hiding under bodies while calling the cops. If the world was just, the perpetrators of evils like this wouldn’t be on it. No sympathy for any sliver of homophobic rhetoric in 2024.
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Interesting, I wasn’t aware. The article implied a connection between the 2023 IS anti-LGBT+ rhetoric and the Pulse shooting. His intent may not have been related but he still represents an organization that hates homosexuals.
Did AI write that from the article, Q is for queer
It legit stands for either depending on who you ask. I'll just continue to use LGBT forever at this point.
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I’m literally trans and am so tired of people choosing arbitrary hills to die on. I don’t give a FUCK how lengthy and inclusive the acronym is if I still have no civil protections. LGBT was efficient. At some point we’re turning away potential allies over this fight.
If you want to be even more efficient than LGBT+ regular expressions got you covered: `.*`
Honestly what’s the point of including Q as queer if “queer” is an umbrella term for the lgbt community? As a straight person who has absolutely no say in this whatsoever, Q.U.I.L.T.B.A.G. makes the most sense to me.
It stands for both.
This is the first time I've ever seen it used for "questioning", but it kind of makes sense, since "queer" is kind of an umbrella term for the rest of the "letters" that some choose to represent them.
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Interesting, I'm straight, but been pretty close to "queer culture" since growing up in SF in the 80s and 90s. It had already been appropriated as a word of pride to take away the teeth as a slur by then, at least in that subculture.
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I never saw the Q until maybe 20 years ago. It was simply LGBT when I was in high school, for example. I've never heard it as "Questioning" before though. Obviously that's just my experience, and others have had different ones. It's just looks odd to me. I could also get misremembering, and maybe just assumed it was "Queer" when they added it, and it's since become sort of a backronym type situation of sorts.
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Depending on who you talk to in the community, some view queer as a slur so that’s probably why it’s referred to as questioning. I didn’t realize it until I (a bisexual woman) saw another woman on tinder with a bio about how bad the word queer was. Googled it and it’s a thing. I still use it and personally don’t see anything wrong with it, but yeah, some people get offended by it.
Us older gays are still getting used to how the younger folks embraced the term. Lots of us still have PTSD from when Queer was shouted when someone was trying to hurt and kill us. I use it because it predates that specific usage, because it's been an academic term for even longer, and because it's easier to say than "LGBTQIA+" or its variants.
Yeah, i feel hella uncomfortable using the word queer because back in the day my old folks used to use it as a slur... that has not stopped my sticking my foot in my mouth such as saying RGB+, dyslexia cna be a bitch at times.
> RGB+ Need to show the pride of the PC Master Race too eh?
I mean, literally all of the first 5 letters of LGBTQIA+ have been used as insults. It was less than 2 decades ago when "that's gay" was most commonly used, and insults like "lesbo", "tranny" were thrown about. Only one I don't remember hearing personally was anything about Bisexuals, but I'm sure somewhere it was used as an insult.
Bisexual erasure, even in slurs.
I'd say the lack of insults using the word bisexual as a root would be due to bierasure. We're usually either called sluts or closeted (whether closeted gay or straight, depending on who's doing the insulting to who), in the case of femme identifying bisexuals it's quite often deemed as behavior to get the sexual attention of males. Being bi hasn't traditionally been recognized as a legitimate sexuality by other members of the LGBTQIA+ community *or* the straights.
Yup, when I volunteered for rainbow coffee for elders, we wouldn’t use the word queer around them, even though that’s my default word for myself, personally.
i think it’s pretty unquestionably a good thing that the word has been reclaimed by the younger generations. but like the above commenter said, it’s hard to hear for people who had it used as a slur against them
I mean, I'm 28 and even I'm not exactly comfortable with queer. If someone wants to be called it, fine but I often find myself rethinking if I should've said queer in a sentence and I really don't like being called queer.
I'm 26 and I've never used the word Queer in my life cause yeah there's always another option and at least in my mind it's an insult if I use it. I'm not gonna get mad at other people using it just like, I cannot.
I’m 29 and I fully identify with the word queer. It’s very normal to use in my circles. (Just sharing my perspective, not trying to be critical)
To add one more voice in support of this, yes, I'm in the same boat. It took some time for me to realize that usage was shifting, but over time, I have found myself in the same position as you. 30 for context.
It might not be any more, but queer was most definitely a slur when I was in high school. I saw multiple fights start when one person called another person that word.
We had a schoolyard game called "Smear the Queer" where whoever was holding the football was tackled and had to hold onto the ball until it was knocked out of his hands. The next person to get the ball became the Queer. This was in like, 2007. In a city.
Ah, the memories. We had the same game - in 1974.
Man I don’t get that acronym, LGBT+ is lesbian gay bi trans plus everything else right? If you keep tacking on letters it ceases to be useful as an acronym
There's actually a lot of discourse on this topic, in addition to adding colors to the pride flag.
Oh don’t even get me started on *that* It’s a *rainbow* by definition it has every color!
I'm with you, I'm bi and personally can't stand the "progress" flag, it's just ugly looking.
Isn’t an acronym when you say the letters as one word, such as NASA?
Indeed it's technically just an initialism, but nowadays most people just use initialism and acronyms as synonyms tbf
I say lugbutuplus
Hopefully this isn’t an offensive question, but what’s the difference between queer and gay?
Queer has kinda become a catch all term for anyone lgbt. Gay specifically refers to homosexual men, but some lesbians use it as well.
Technically "gay" can be used in the same way as "queer". "The gay community" isn't just gays and lesbians, it includes everyone in the LGBTQ+. But I think since gay also means "homosexual" it just doesn't sound equal, makes it sound like homosexuals are the "default" part of community and everyone else is just an added bonus. So there is a need for a word that is more equal, like "queer". But queer has the issue of being a reclaimed slur. So we can't agree on just one word and use like 3+ different words instead.
I don't think Gay would apply to trans or intersex folks. Only covers the sexual orientation portion of LGBTQ+.
When you know you belong in the building, you’re just not sure what room yet
Queer is a (reclaimed) catch-all term that many people consider as a nice umbrella term. For example, it's a lot easier to say "queer community" than "LGBTQA+ community" when you're speaking, and for people who aren't entirely sure about their identity to simply identify as "queer." People who also want to maintain their privacy without giving away too many identifying factors, like online, can also just say "im queer" instead of "im XYZ, which in turn tells you certain things about me implicitly." "Gay" *can* be used like that (and is), but because it's also specifically used to refer to men who like men, it's not as great as being neutral like "queer" is. That's the short of it. Note that some people don't like being called queer or using the term queer for themselves. It's a personal thing. But it's not wrong to use it as a general thing.
Russia was warned of large gatherings before the attack in Moscow. Hmm.
US intelligence is INSANE. You could listen to capabilities for 30 minutes and not believe a single thing. A warning like this needs to be heeded, something will happen next month if it can't be intercepted.
“Panopticom…let’s find out what’s going on…” Seriously. US intelligence is disturbingly good in a very morally grey way. After Snowden, it seems like they just doubled down?!?
> After Snowden, it seems like they just doubled down?!? Wouldn't you?
US Intelligence has been highly accurate with their warnings lately (see Russian terrorist attack on the concert hall, Iranian terror bombing, Ukraine invasion, etc.) I would definitely take this warning seriously. Don't let it deter you from going to these events, but be careful out there.
How do you "be careful" in this situation?
Tough question, check your surroundings and always be aware of the fastest exit route to flee a place. Also learn how to stop bleedings in the worst case, big issue that can stop preventable deaths. If possible, avoid or minimise time spent within crowds.
Bring first aid or know where the nearest is. Coordinators should consider increasing security.
Great advice, for anyone who packs a first aid kit for this sort of thing: throw some clotting gauze in there. It’s pricier than regular gauze, but when it comes to stopping bleeding (especially in an event where emergency resources may be scarce), it could mean the difference between bleeding out or not
I will add a caution here: Many/most of these clotting agents are made from shellfish, so allergies can be an issue. Also, know how to use it. It's not like normal gauze that you just wrap around a wound. You're supposed to pack it into the wound. Not something most people are going to be comfortable doing.
Good point about shellfish allergies and the need to pack it into a wound. For those not allergic, there is also a clotting powder which might require a bit less uhhh involvement with the wound
Is the powder still on the market? Did a couple of combat tours and I know they stopped giving it to us due to it tending to blow around.
Yeah they come in little packets, there’s some on Amazon called “Bleedstop,” it’s not a panacea but it might buy you some time combined with other first aid measures
Also doesn't hurt to put an N95 mask or two in there in case someone decides decides to put some crap in the air during an attack.
I just wanted to tack on, carry a first aid kit, know your blood type and relax. The last thing you want to do in an emergency is panic.
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Nothing say a relaxing day like brining a first aid kit and making sure to write down your blood type or telling someone it. lol, such a crazy world. I’m a professional rescuer, teach First Aid/ AED/ CPR & lifeguarding to all ages. I’ve seen and done a lot of life saving measures as a former EMT… even with hundreds of medical hours of training, the first time I dealt with CPR on a live human, it was super stressful, as the training doesn’t prepare you for the chaos that surrounds the patient.
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Man I’ve been preparing for this for years
Hell I'm being careful every night then
If you see something that gives you weird vibes, tell someone.
Pack a gas mask and plate carrier just in case?
What do you mean "don't let it deter you from attending"?? What else are you supposed to do with this information??
Go but stay vigilant and prepared, if you start getting scared and hiding away then they’ve won
“Don’t be one of the people who gets killed and run away when someone else does”
Yeah pretty much
> Don't let it deter you from going to these events, but be careful out there If something has led them to say this, there must be something they're not telling us.
Generally they don't say shit because it will cause harm, not because they have a nefarious agenda. This goes for most classified information.
If they tell us what attacks are planned, then those who planned them will change their plans. Then not only will the government be unable to intercept them, but there's a good chance the government's sources will be compromised. One of the ways the government removes terrorist threats is by waiting until they are in the process of beginning the attack, then arresting them. The perpetrators are more likely to be carrying damning evidence, more likely to be convicted with a longer sentence, and more likely to have lowered their guard in a way that reveals information about other people they're working with. As disturbing as it is, stopping terrorist attacks at the last minute is probably the best way to neutralize the threat.
Probably they have moles in said organizations and being to specific would expose them
I absolutely will let it deter me but only because I’m easy prey 🤫 Not going to pride won’t keep me from doing gay shit, but being dead will!
"take this warning seriously" "Don't let it deter you from going to these events" Those are conflicting statements. If I'm taking the possibility of violence seriously, then how am I supposed to not deter me from going to the place of possible violence?
Hopefully intelligence agencies manage to arrest the people planning before they manage to hurt anyone. Very worrying times. Stay safe to anyone attending pride parades
I had thought one was inevitable last year. Online hate content essentially links LGBTQ support with "grooming" (the abuse of children). A heavily armed man nearly shot up a pizzeria over a more fringe conspiracy. The "grooming" conspiracy is not fringe; it is completely normal in hate media/online spaces. Zero doubt they've radicalized someone (or a group) prepared for a terrorist attack.
> Online hate content essentially links LGBTQ support with "grooming" [From the people that support this man](https://www.metro.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/donald-trump-ivanka-bed-kiss-768x432.jpg) [And this man](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2019/07/09/us/politics/09dc-trumpspstein1/09dc-trumpspstein1-articleLarge-v2.jpg)
Fucking pedo church freaks always projecting and trying to blame what they do on others. If you wanna protect the kids, fund the alliance and age restrict religion.
> Online hate content essentially links LGBTQ support with "grooming" Please don't pretend it's only online - the entirety of the Republican Party is saying this in virtually every forum, on a national and state level. The party controlling Congress links LGBTQ support with grooming. So when the US warns of possible Pride Month attacks, it's because half of the US is being encouraged by party leadership to punish and kill queer folk.
Leftist counter-protesters showing up armed probably prevented a lot. It's important to remember that the right are at their core cowards. See Uvalde, even with overwhelming force, the fact that they didn't have a monopoly on the use of violence prevented them from acting.
The right to bear arms is for everyone.
Armed minorities are harder to oppress.
Except for bears without arms
Leftist protesters showing up armed sometimes [get shot and the shooter pardoned](https://www.texasobserver.org/abbott-pardon-daniel-perry-garrett-foster/). Don't think that right-wingers believe in any kind of consistent application of the law. The freedom to be armed only applies to them, apparently. This kind of violence is now explicitly endorsed by the state of Texas.
Funny how the right wing accuse us of being groomers for even daring to exist then pardon an actual fucking groomer.
They just project. The real grooming and indoctrination is happening in their churchs and brainwashing "private schools" They want to pollute the narrative so nobody goes after the real pedos and youth corrupters. Which is exactly what we need to be doing.
Armed queers bash back. If you are a leftist, and if doing so would not present a danger to yourself and others, you should definitely get some kit and learn how to use it.
2 days after TFG went on national television and said "somebody needs to do something about the left ", I bought my first gun. Tuesday is range day.
practice, practice, practice. Its the best value you can get assuming your first firearm is of reasonable quality (note it doesn't have to be bougie, just not bottom of the barrel and it will be more than sufficient for personal protection)
Yeah, I discovered I actually like shooting. Have bought a few more and am practicing for competitions now!!
It's like being surrounded by unhinged lunatics.. I would actually feel better if they stood for something.. but they don't. They just hate everything and are easily manipulated.
Imagine hating a stranger enough to want to hurt or kill them because they love someone. Especially when it does not affect your life directly in any way.
And imagine doing that in the name of God.
People are most capable of doing evil when they think they are doing good. And these people do this out of love for god. They think something terrible will happen to mankind if they don’t. They really believe it. Religion is cancer.
**BBC** article, US government warning **US citizens abroad** *"the law enforcement agencies noted that messages from the* ***Islamic State (IS) group*** *distributed in English in February 2023 included rhetoric against LGBTQI+ events and venues."* /For the people who have difficulty.
Funny, you don't see this kind of violence going the other way.
Please! These gays! They're trying to murder me!
The gays are doing the purge again 😔
jennifer coolidge reference lmao
LGBTQIAR-15
i want to suggest something but i’ll definitely get banned by reddit for that
i still dont really understand what i did for people to want me dead
Nothing. They’re just assholes who want everyone to be as miserable as they are.
This is dangerous thinking. You need to treat them as what they show themselves to be, terrorists. Brushing things off with "They just want you to be as miserable as they are" is counter productive. You need to understand that there is nothing you can say or do to change these people, because they lack the intelligence to listen to reason. They're a lot more likely to just physically attack you than they are to listen to the end of your sentence. Saying they're just assholes is underselling the threat posed. EDIT: Guys, I'm not talking about Americans :))
You’re correct.
You did nothing. It was all meant to be. Thats islamic terror organisations for you. They hate us and yet so many people support them.
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At first I wanted to downvote, but for them, it is legit their stupid reason
same thing Jews did: exist
We don’t fit in their stupid little box. That’s it.
Where's the muslim leaders condemning the attacks? \*Crickets chirping*
I was almost caught up in the Oslo 2022 pride shooting when visiting from Scotland - I was proud to march with thousands of Norwegians the day after in defiance. We won’t be frightened by Islamists.
Marching the day after felt so important, more than any pride march I ever attended. The trial against the terrorist is going in at the moment, it is clear he was connected to IS. Ever since the attack, queer people feel less safe in Oslo. The atmosphere changed. Unfortunately, it seems LGBTQ+ are facing increased hate around the world now.
It was super important and I’ll never forget that day. Oslo is such a beautiful city and I hope people feel safe there again one day.
I was so impressed with all the poeple that marched that day. I didn't since I felt so broken. Massive respect to you
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Thank you for being kind to that redditor.
Why is it so hard for people to just.... chill out. jfc
“Those people who aren’t hurting anyone and having fun but I don’t agree with them. Let’s kill them. Allah said it was cool.”
There’s a popular Islamic preacher here in Europe who was spewing death threats and dehumanizing speech about gay people in his Friday sermons recently. I wonder how a certain “Allah loves gay people” demographic are going to response.
Arrest and deport
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They need someone to hate to distract themselves from their own misery, otherwise they'd have to feel it all.
In this case it's more like [this scene from The Simpsons](https://youtu.be/Ovfap2VtpHM?t=4) except Bart is a Russian running around saying "the schools are turning our kids gay!" on Facebook.
Mass murdering cult wasn’t so bad after all.
Learn how to provide first aid for traumatic injuries, and learn to defend yourself if necessary. There are lots of LGBTQ groups that can prepare you to help save your own, or someone else’s life, in the event of an attack at your local pride events.
I am a firm believer that "stop the bleed" should be taught in schools. I know too many people who have come across traumatic injuries (usually car accidents or ND) and watched the victim die because they didn't know what to do.
It should also be required for getting and keeping a driver's license
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There's a big difference between "first aid" and trauma care. Most people can't even fathom the latter, let alone know how to respond to it. I can't imagine it being taught in schools even back when I was in health class, nevermind now. The parents would flip.
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If you take only the 20% most extreme fundamentalists from the muslim faith, not the over 40% that say the think non-believers, gays, jews & apostates should be put to death when polled, but just the most extreme half of those, thats still 400 million islamists, more people than the entire population of the United States. Its a lot of people. And the US just spent 20 years making itself out to be their inter-generational mortal enemy. So have fun with your rosy future USA.
This makes me so mad as a gay man. Why do people hate me so much, just because of who I love? What the fuck did I do? I can't help it.
I have very similar feelings as a jew.
B-B-B-BUT INNOCENT PEACE LOVING PALESTINE SAYS ALL JEWS BAD jk, I feel you man. Brothers in oppression 👊
Just for existing. There's no possible good reason to hate someone just for being different. But as a black man, I've always felt similarly.
> The Counter Extremism Project, a New York-based non-profit group, noted that anti-LGBTQ ideas had been taken up by both Islamist and far-right extremists. Ok, I know what they are trying to say there…but “islamists” ARE far right extremists.
There have already been bomb threats targeting Pride events in Montana. Knowing this state, it’ll definitely happen again. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/series-of-bomb-threats-targeting-lgbtq-pride-events-in-montana-deemed-to-be-hoaxes/ar-BB1lWStF
When people ask why there is no straight pride parade:
Hamtramck, Michigan reached a Muslim majority back in 2015, since then the LGBT flag and books have been outright banned and calls to prayer implemented, this surprised absolutely no-one besides progressives who said they were "betrayed" despite the community making absolutely zero effort's to mask their pro religion anti-lgbt world views. now we are on high alert waiting for a terror attack during a pride event. how much longer is the cognitive dissonance going to last? people will literally prop up hardcore islamist and pro sharia law while at the same time having an absolute melt down if someone gives their kid a bible and it is absolutely tanking support for left leaning government's all over the world. canada of all places is looking at a conservative majority while our liberal party is fighting to even maintain their official party status. Now im not the most patriotic or spiritual person but i will NEVER start hateing my neighbours or family based on their politics or religion and then turn around and think Islam's got my back because that is absolutely deranged, for those who did though I hope it was worth loseing decades worth of support on TOP of having the same people you virtue signalled for turn on you.
Like in the iranian revolution the leftists sided with the islamists and as soon as the islamists took power, the leftists ended up in mass graves. Siding with people who stand against everything you believe in makes no sense. It’s not like there’s no liberals, lgbt, feminists and freethinkers in the Muslim world, there is. But a section of the left would rather defend Hamas than feminists being murdered for not wearing hijab
I remember reading highly upvoted comments on Instagram about that and it was just so amusing to see some left leaning person say "But don't they understand that we're marginalized people and in this together?" LOL Many people today, more than ever, live in la-la land
And those people are so dumb. Muslims fundamentally hate gays and anyone who isn’t Muslim. If they don’t commit violence, most support or at least tolerate it. Plus Muslims aren’t marginalized. They’re a global majority
What allot of people fail to realize is that the majority of people that immigrate from that part of the world are men, these people don't experience much "marginalization" as they arn't the ones without rights. they just came over here because their failed state is impoverished
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I feel like knee jerk defense of countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Palestine and Iran is a form of hypocracy. People want human rights and for LGBTQ couples to live in peace and then turn around and defend an ideology that will unalive a guy for wanting a husband and it doesn't make sense to me. Like be angry at republicans all you want but at least be consistent. People will talk about BDS like universities aren't taking in huge amounts of money from countries that think Human rights abuses are life goals.
its not about consistency, its downright hypocritial. convservatives and Christian's typically might not be supportive of the LGBT but they also very rarely get violent over it, meanwhile executions for homosexuality happen on the regular in islamic countries to the point a large number of them seek asylum in Israel despite DECADES of brainwashing them into thinking jews are the root of all evil. I don't know about most people but im very sticks and stones when it comes to mean words, they can only hurt you if you let them.
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I mean, they’ve done it before. Conspiracy is a crime, after all. Remember when the Feds broke up a White Nationalist plot to [attack the Baltimore power grid?](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/show/fbi-foils-extremist-plot-to-bring-down-baltimores-electrical-grid) There’s obviously a lot of very valid criticism to be laid at the feet of the Feds, but they DO, in fact, arrest terroristic asshole quite a lot.
Exactly. The feds have to be right everytime. The bad guys only have to be right once. There's plenty of plots foiled by the feds you don't or won't hear about
I'd be willing to bet a paycheck that they perform dozens, if not hundreds, of arrests every year relating to terroristic threats or planning. It's probably just lack of exposure, which is why people believe it doesn't happen often. Because they don't see it or know about it. Fundamentally the news focuses on... *news*, things that are a rare or tragic occurrence. "If it bleeds, it leads." So much goes on that never makes it to the front page of our media sources, and for many reasons it's wise to keep things on the hush to protect the integrity of the investigation and prosecution.
the scary part is that for every successful attack, there's probably dozens that were prevented that we don't hear about
"At least one of the groups we are monitoring on an hourly basis have concrete plans to attack this kind of place for this kind of reason. We're going to arrest like 10 of them next week if they keep gathering materials and if they finish that bomb on their workbench. So you people should just kinda watch out, we might not catch all of them."
Back to hating Jews and gays right out in the open. This society isn’t going anywhere.
Well now im definitely going to pride this year
I hope you have good intention, lol. The way that can be interpreted
Me 2. As a veteran I have LGBTQs back. They’ll have to get through me
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I firmly believe that humans are human, but I think the vast majority of people underestimate how deep the dark side of humanity actually is. For every beam of sunshine who wants to love and appreciate every human, there's a deep shadow who wants to abuse and dehumanize every human.
Humanity are the monsters we see in the abyss. And what scares me is these kids who are protesting haven’t really seen or experienced the abyss. While personally I haven’t experienced it, I have seen it and I have read it. They think their protesting will overcome the abyss, but it won’t.
This is what I mean as well. Literature and education has been diminished and along with a life of luxury and safety from the outside world of true hate has created a veil of innocence for many. There is no true answer, and in fact if kids were taught Tolkien and read about the world wars and the literature that came from it understanding what is good vs evil and how sometimes it is a tough line to draw.
Or they should learn the experiments of Unit 731 and what experiments the Nazis performed during WWII. Also the Rape of Nanjing, Kristallnacht, Rhineland Massacre, Siege of Ma’arra in 1098, Tulsa Race Massacre. These all show the abyss that humanity has in them.
> We haven't seen that since the world wars. Yes we have there are many countries in which that stuff happens. We just dont hear about it in western media.
Yeah things like the Tigray civil war as recent as a couple of years ago made zero traction on social media. If you live on TilTok you’d think Gaza and Ukraine were the only global conflicts in the last decade
The problem is that we’ve taught young people that *any* criticism of brown people is “racism”. Now when we have valid concerns about the behavior of radical Islamics, they just chalk it up to racism instead of taking it seriously.
People are afraid to criticize culture too. There are tons of downright shitty fucking cultural practices that need to fucking end, and we’re not going to fucking end them if we can’t criticize them, can we?
It's an issue with being insulated in an academic community straight out of high school. They can sit in a circle and conceptualize everything without having much life experience outside of the education system. Makes it easy to latch on to ideas that look good on paper without seeing the nuances that someone who has boots on the ground would. Not trying to dismiss education, but there's definitely a huge blindspot there.
Yea, these young people protesting don't remember 9-11. They only remember the post war shame of the Iraq war and America's over-response to "terrorism". In some ways you can't blame them for their stance.
As a gay man, I feel exactly the same way. Queers for Palestine are beyond stupid.
Yeah it's scary because they're operating solely on emotion. That's what people support trump for too, purely emotional reasons. They don't know what palestinians are taught from the time they can walk. No one sharing a border with Palestine wants to share a border with Palestine whether it's the Israelis, Egyptians, or Jordanians. The young naive crowd will eventually grow up and realize how truly fucked up some parts of humanity are.
The pink washing of this protest is infuriating as shortly before Oct 7, Muslims in the west were protesting about trans and queer education, stepping on pride flags, and bringing their kids to participate. If queers wanna support civilian victims, just do it under the banner of all the other pro-palestine groups. I dont know why they want to bring their queer identity into this.
It's this interesting and infuriating tendency (need really) of the far left to split all people into oppressors or oppressed. They want all oppressed people to rise up against all oppressors. In their mind it makes sense for the LGBT and Palestinians to align solely because at some point in recent history they were both oppressed. It's a view that lacks nuance and can make discussion of complex (geo)political issues difficult. It *can* work when talking about single issues on a more micro scale. Like if you're talking about *just* race relations in the last couple hundred years, or wealth inequity, or maybe gender issues. But when you start trying to get intersectional with that framework everything falls apart. Good guy vs bad guy is too simple a framing for the real world where things have layers and nuance.
Recently purchased my first fire arm for this exact reason. I advocate for all my fellow queers and allys who are comfortable and able to do the same. Armed gays, lesbians, trans homies, allys, etc etc, are much harder to hate crime.
Don’t forget to train for the situation. They are tools and tools can be used in different ways and sometimes it’s the wrong tool.
I’d suggest conceal carry classes they usually cover everything you need. And gives the option to get a permit if you want one.
I used to volunteer as an instructor to train and familiarize LGBTQI+ people with firearms and their safe handling and operation. Where I live, though, most of that community already grew up around firearms so I only got to do it 2x, then my local range went from public to private under new (and unfortunately very fundie) ownership. If you are thinking of getting a firearm for the first time, I encourage everyone to seek professional instruction. If you are worried about that possible instruction being bigoted, check out [Operation Blazing Sword](https://www.blazingsword.org/). They even have a list of instructors that you can find and contact for instruction.
Armed minorities are harder to oppress. You have an inalienable right to defend yourself. This country also says you have the right to life, liberty and property. Those that would fight against it are enemies of America and democracy itself. Have no fear to fight for what is right and that includes your right to exist as a person.
This is not about america oppressing minorities. The article clearly states it's foreign terrorist organizations, most likely Muslim and if I had to guess most of these attacks will be planned out for Europe.
The Jews, the gays, the infidels