Pride + Gun Violence Awareness Months Call for Progressive Action
Iowa Pride 2019 with Moms Demand Action for gun reform. Credit: Wikimedia Commons/IowaPipe
The prevailing narrative going into Virginia’s General Election in November is about the “fate of Glenn Youngkin’s agenda” and if Republicans will have total control of state government. I keep thinking about the political ambitions of our governor and what that means for Virginia’s families, especially during June – both Pride Month and Gun Violence Awareness Month.
Virginia made national and international headlines within the last year for multiple, high-profile mass shootings, including the shooting after a high school graduation ceremony in Richmond, down the street from the governor’s mansion. There have also been student walkouts in protest of the governor’s proposed policies to restrict protections for transgender students. Instead of focusing on preventing deaths from firearms and increasing gun safety measures, the governor has an aversion to even saying the word “gun.” Ensuring LGBTQ+ individuals have access to health care, housing, steady employment and reproductive and gender-affirming care, is also not a priority for Youngkin. Rather, he chooses to single out vulnerable populations for polling points.
Youngkin’s political agenda is not one I want in Virginia, nor one I wish for anyone in this country.
There’s a lot of talk about Youngkin’s presidential aspirations, but even if he doesn’t decide to run in 2024 or is not tapped to be a vice presidential candidate, we are seeing governors and state legislatures use state institutions to enact extremist policies. Virginia is no exception.
Even without significant legislative wins, Youngkin’s white “parental rights” movement is leading to a whitewashing of history, directives to rollback protections for trans students and discriminatory policies led by groups like Moms for Liberty – an antigovernment hate group that engages in anti-student inclusion activities, opposes LGBTQ+ and racially inclusive school curriculum and advocates for books bans.
While it’s easy to discuss the political future of the governor, there are real consequences in November and beyond for who’s voted into office. This harm is happening in classrooms, places of worship, small businesses, hospitals and within homes. I often reflect back to Niko, a trans student, asking the governor about his transgender policies during a CNN Town Hall on public education and Youngkin denying the existence and autonomy of Niko, ultimately saying, “Children belong to parents. Not to the state, not to schools, not to bureaucrats, but to parents.” Witnessing that exchange enraged me because a person with political power told a young person their identity and choices didn’t matter. That devaluation of life gives permission for others to discriminate and create harm as well.
In June 2016, 49 people were killed and 53 more were wounded at Pulse, an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Orlando, during A Pride celebration. Last year, five people were killed and 19 injured from gunfire at Club Q in Colorado Springs, another LGBTQ nightclub.
We are living through very dangerous times where divisive rhetoric encourages hate crimes, empowers white supremacists and threatens our democracy. When political pundits talk about “political wars,” it’s important to remember this is not a game. We live in a country where the “LGBTQ+ panic defense” is still a valid defense in 34 states. We’re talking about decisions that will save or sacrifice lives.
Virginia needs an emboldened General Assembly that will expand gun safety measures, increase funding for community violence intervention programs, reduce poverty, support gun violence research and implement public health solutions. We also need to eliminate harmful exclusions in medical care and child welfare, support cultural competency training, recognize the autonomy of youth, be rigorous in protecting content created by queer authors and remove exemption laws that allow discrimination.
Our state legislature must the needs of families and invest in infrastructure, whether it be high-speed internet, public transit, health centers, job training, affordable child care, a living wage and full-service grocery stores – including in rural areas!
The governor has made it very clear what his priorities are and who will be prioritized in legislation. For the sake of Virginians, and the future of the country in 2024, I hope we elect leaders who are uniters, not fighters, and will lead with love and not hate. We, the people, should never be the enemy of the state.