It has recently come to my attention that there is a “Pro-God, Guns and Trump” rally happening on the same date as the Eugene-Springfield Pride Parade and Pride Festival in Alton Baker Park on Saturday, Aug. 10.
Here are just a few quotes Facebook event’s description:
“We cannot let leftists control our city and tell us to keep silent about our beliefs!”
“This is a 2A friendly event and there will be many guns present including AR-15’s. This event is not for soft-conservatives, but those who are bold.”
This literal call to arms is conveniently timed on the same day as our community’s largest LGBTQIA+ event, the Pride Festival. I cannot help but be reminded of our nation’s worst mass shooting in history at the time, the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida.
This targeted attack against the LGBTQIA+ community lead to more than 50 dead and even more injured. We just passed the three-year anniversary of that tragic day.
The comments left by the rally organizers make it clear that this is not a rally in support of the First or the Second amendment rights but a thinly veiled threat of violence against the LGBTQIA+ community.
As a gay man, I refuse to be afraid in my own town, and I refuse to back down from knock-off Proud Boys who who seek to intimidate our community. I ask allies and friends to show support for the LGBTQIA+ community and show that Eugene stands up against hatred.
Timothy Morris
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
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Eugene Weekly
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