Morning Briefing: Targeted by Far Right Extremists, LBGTIQ Community Prepares for Pride Month
The target of far right violent extremists, the LGBTIQ community is preparing to address security concerns for events and festivals taking place during Pride Month.
Morning Briefing: As Pride Month approaches, various far right groups are preparing to organize protests and disruptions of LGBTIQ events around the country. Additionally, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last month issued a warning warned that “foreign terror organizations may attempt to target LGBT events around the world during Pride Month.”
Qommittee is a national group of drag performers that have “experienced, directly or indirectly, threats, harassment or violence related to their art form,” and the group plans to “develop into an organization that can support to drag artists who have been targeted by right-wing activists, help artists navigate the business of drag, and protect artists’ rights.”
Organizers of festivals and events around the country are preparing in various ways.
In New York City, “event organizers are working with law enforcement and private security teams.” In St. Cloud, Florida, organizers of the "Proud in the Cloud" event said the “support organizers received from the community has been amazing.”
However, in recent months, various municipal government have approved ordinances to prohibit government buildings from displaying Pride Flags, and these changes have often been the results of campaigns by groups such as MassResistance, a far right anti-LGBTIQ group which chapters in several states.
In Huntington Beach, California, voters recently approved a measure which purohits the display on city property of “rainbow Pride flag and other nongovernmental banners.” In Downey, California, the city council recently “voted to revert back to its previous flag policy,” effectively banning the display of the Pride Flag on city property.
Other groups that are planning protest or disruptions of events during Pride Month include the Gays Against Groomers, the far right anti-LGBTIQ group; the New Columbia Movement, the Christian Nationalist group associated with radical traditionalist Catholics; and the Proud Boys, the far right violent extremist group.
In Pewaukee, Wisconsin, a family’s yard sign promoting LGBTIQ inclusivity and reportedly “ripped up and left on their front porch,” and the resident also found a “handwritten hate letter referencing the sign and a Ukrainian flag.” Local law enforcement is investigating the incident.
Must Reads
Tess Owen writes that “the words ‘RIP America’ trended on X minutes after a jury in Manhattan found former president Donald Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts for falsifying business records in connection to a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Images of an upside-down American flag—a symbol of distress that became co-opted by the 2020 Stop the Steal movement—flooded social media, as Trump supporters, fringe extremists, right-wing pundits, and politicians voiced their anger. Ever since the trial began, pro-Trump commentators—and Trump himself—have been priming MAGA online ecosystems to claim foul play if the jury found him guilty. The response to his felony conviction was predictably swift, with many characterizing it as a declaration of ‘war’ from the ‘deep state.’ Incendiary rhetoric about how the guilty verdict was a sign of America’s collapse reverberated from the mainstream right all the way to the fringes.” [Wired]
Joseph Tanfani, Ned Parker and Peter Eisler write that “supporters of former President Donald Trump, enraged by his conviction on 34 felony counts by a New York jury, flooded pro-Trump websites with calls for riots, revolution and violent retribution. After Trump became the first U.S. president to be convicted of a crime, his supporters responded with dozens of violent online posts, according to a Reuters review of comments on three Trump-aligned websites: the former president's own Truth Social platform, Patriots.Win and the Gateway Pundit. Some called for attacks on jurors, the execution of the judge, Justice Juan Merchan, or outright civil war and armed insurrection. ‘Someone in NY with nothing to lose needs to take care of Merchan,’ wrote one commentator on Patriots.Win. ‘Hopefully he gets met with illegals with a machete,’ the post said in reference to illegal immigrants. On Gateway Pundit, one poster suggested shooting liberals after the verdict. ‘Time to start capping some leftys,’ said the post. ‘This cannot be fixed by voting.’” [Reuters]
Tim Dickinson writes that “extremists are reacting to Trump’s guilty verdicts in the New York hush-money trial with calls to violence — both overt and covert. The news that the former president was found guilty on 34 different felony counts did not sit well with Stew Peters, a far-right shock jock who has frequently called for executing government officials, Biden family members, and journalists. Reacting to Trump’s conviction Thursday on Telegram, Peters claimed that the judicial system has been ‘weaponized against the American people,’ adding: ‘We are left with NO other option but to take matters into our own hands. ⚔’ Leaving no doubt about what the crossed swords emoji signified, Peters soon posted a picture of a noose overlaid with the words ‘Extreme Accountability.’ He added the text: ‘It’s Time.’ The Columbus, Ohio, chapter of the Proud Boys also responded on Telegram to the news of the Trump verdicts with a single word: “War.” That post was shared by the state chapter of the Proud Boys, which also posted an image that read: ‘PB Standing By’ — a reference to Trump’s call on the group to ‘stand back and stand by’ during a 2020 election debate.” [Rolling Stone]
What to expect from Radical Reports: Morning Briefing provides a daily round-up of reporting on the Radical Right; Extremist Links offers a weekly round-up of extremists activities including the white supremacist and militia movements; Narratives of the Right delivers weekly analysis of the current narratives in far right online spaces and promoted by right-wing media; and Research Desk provides monthly highlights research and analysis from academia on the Radical Right.
Sounds like there are some very angry keyboard warriors out there lol! I shouldn’t be dismissive I suppose, but I’d be more concerned if he’d actually had some supporters show up in NY