We cannot begin to imagine the continued pain and suffering endured by Trayvon Martin’s family and friends. We stand in solidarity with them as they continue to fight for justice, civil rights and closure. And we thank everyone who has pushed and will continue to push for justice.
Trayvon Martin deserves justice and his civil rights. We support the organizations and community leaders who are urging the federal government to explore every option to ensure that justice is served for Trayvon and that his civil rights are honored and respected. But our work does not end there: we will honor Trayvon Martin by strengthening our commitment to end bias, hatred, profiling and violence across our communities.
We represent organizations with diverse lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender constituencies. Our community has been targets of bigotry, bias, profiling and violence. We have experienced the heart-breaking despair of young people targeted for who they are, who they are presumed to be, or who they love: Rashawn Brazell, Lawrence King, Ali Forney, Brandon Teena, Brandon White, Matthew Shepard, Marco McMillian, Angie Zapata, Sakia Gunn, Gwen Araujo and countless others.
Every person, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity, must be able to walk the streets without fear for their safety.
Justice delayed is justice denied and in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ‘a right delayed is a right denied.’ We honor Trayvon by seeking justice for all people.”
— An open letter issued by 35 LGBT organizations, led by the National Black Justice Coalition and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, calling for justice for slain teen Trayvon Martin. Other signees included GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign, GMHC and the American Civil Liberties Union.
Tackle
That’s wounderful. Glad to hear the solidarity of these 35 organizations coming togather for a worthy cause. This kid was definitely and wrongly profiled.
john77351
The LGBT community needs to stay out of this. A trial was held, a case stated and a vertict reached – Case closed – Move on.
2eo
@Tackle: Absolutely, this is a case of blatant manipulation and exploitation of rights for a minority, white conservative have being allowed to cold bloodedly murder minorities for decades [centuries] too long without consequence.
miagoodguy
Too bad this case had nothing to do with a white guy.
DCNimbus
Guys- I read your Comments Policy. Not sure why it’s taking so long to approve? Please advise…
Vartan X.
Being a thus he was, I wonder it Trayvon gave two sh*ts about gay rights.
Vartan X.
*thug, not ‘thus’.
2eo
@DCNimbus: Queerty’s moderators only ever appear if you slag them off.
Also there are certain words that cause the posts to be automatically screened. I’m guessing the post on this thread would contain the word “R@cist”, the correct spelling is banned for reasons I can not comprehend, however racially is fine.
Other include “Soci@list” among others. Just change A to @ and I to 1 to get around it.
DCNimbus
@Vartan X.: @Vartan X.: Couldn’t have said it better. We just need to stay out of this case all together. Two people know what happened and one is dead. The jury decided and that should be the end of it!
DCNimbus
I wholeheartedly agree with john77351. STAY OUT OF THIS. A silent majority of folks think justice WAS done. This was a case about self defense, NOT race. There is a dispute of facts – and Zimmerman’s story has been consistent throughout. The police got pressure from the Justice Department NOT because laws were broken but because there would be rioting and they wanted to keep the peace. PLEASE let this case go. This is NOT the right case tie race relations to. I love how they keep using pictures of Trayvon when he was 12 years old. This is dishonest. I think America is happy to have a chat about race but it has to be honest and it can’t assume the white person is always racially biased. How many black kids were killed by other black kids in Chicago during this trial? Where is the indignation from the NAACP over THESE case?
DCNimbus
@2eo: Thank you moderator!
Spike
Pointless. How about just stay the hell out of Florida, as in don’t go spend your gay dollars there??? Oops, Gay Days Disney, like that is ever going to happen, I suppose a letter is the best the LGBT community can come up with. Not like the Black community steps up when LGBT civil rights are under attack.
Kieran
35 organizations? Where were all these 35 GLBT organizations when a black man was gunned down in NYC for being gay? We haven’t heard anything about that case since.
BJ McFrisky
Hmmm, I don’t recall these same organizations objecting after OJ Simpson got away with killing two white people. Oh well, double standards and all that.
daltro305
@Kieran: Exactly. But even more telling, where was the outrage in the black community when the gay man in NY was gunned down? No outrage, just silence. Where were the outraged black people when justice wasn’t served during the OJ trial?
DarkZephyr
This has nothing to do with LGBT rights, what are they trying to pull with this?
jeff4justice
And now we await the statements calling for justice for the innocent people killed by the 2-party system’s lie-based wars; the 2-party system’s policies of economic slavery that have led half of this nation into poverty and most people financially supported by government assistance; 2-party system’s drug war; and condemnation the LGBT business that push sexism/classim/elitism/racism, alcoholism/drugs, dumbing down, and condomless sex glorification on LGBT people. I won’t hold my breath.
Dixie Rect
These organizations really need to look at the evidence and the trial. Again, people buy in to what the US media tells them. A verdict has been reached, move on.
TomDB62
@Vartan X.: He and his besty Rachel Jeantel were sure GZ was gay which prompted TM to attack GZ…does that answer your question?
Spike
@Dixie Rect: Just remember after Labor Day, you are going to have to put away your white robe and white pointy hat! You wouldn’t want to violate fashion rules.
Twelvepla
You all are a disgrace of human beings!!! The lack of humanity and compassion that you all have makes me numb to any emotional pain or discrimination that you have ever personally gone through in your individual lives! These organizations banning together is start of real power in the LGBT banning together for a cause that you may not understand, but it mirrors a problem also symptomatic in our own community. To compare this case to the OJ Simpson trial that was 18 years ago and isn’t related to this particular case? If you people truly believe that this case isn’t about race, STOP saying stupid stuff about it! And how dare any of you overlook the LGBT portion of the community that is African American. We do exist and whether you like it our not we out a part of the community. And irregardless whether or not the Black community as a whole realizes and excepts this fact, our struggles are almost one in the same, and I admire the fact that these 35 organizations are aware of this and putting a voice to a cause and a victim who’s voice was taken away from him by a trial and ignorant society that we live in. That boy did nothing to deserve to be murdered. And do not act as if TM was gay and any other type of race or nationality and GZ knew this, that the history and pain that we as a community have suffered would not still hurt almost a week after the verdict. (Whether or not you argue that the jury could have come to a convictable outcome or not). The fact the the country continues even after the trial to demean this BOY and his character after he was murdered, is sad and pathetic. And the fact that no one seems to have a legitimate answer for just why that is, is exactly why this case is about race more than others!
Alan down in Florida
Are you queens as ignorant as you are catty?
This case sets a precedent and is likely to cause the spread of stand your grounds laws to states where they don’t currently exist. A stand your ground law (even if it were not invoked in this trial) gives gay bashers the freedom to kill GLTBQIA individuals under the guise of being afraid for their lives when the bashed bash back. This is a license to kill for homophobes.
Nyruinz
These posts are a good indication that “Blacks” obviously are considered non-existent to the LGBT community.
Yes a gay black man was murdered in NYC, however his killer has been charged with second degree murder along with other counts. Trayvon martin’s killer was set free. George Zimmerman decided to play vigilante against an unarmed teenager and murdered him in cold blood.
Tackle
Did anyone of you insensitive uncaring b@gots even bother to read the post as to why the 35 GLBT organnizations are calling for justice and what they are standing for?? Apparently not. You reacted to and are too blinded by your own bigotry to even care. The 35 GLBT organizations are not fighting for Blacks. As you would want to believe. They are fighting for civil rights, justice and closure. Closure for Trayvons family. And they are fighting to end bias, hatred, profiling, and voilence across communities. They are fighting for every person regardless of race, religion,sexual orientation or gender identity to be able to walk the streets without fear for their safety. This is to be commended, and makes for a better society overall.
zrocqs
There are too many utterly inane statements among these few posts to redress with multiple individual @Reply, so here’s a list of dumbasses: john77531, miagoodguy, DCNimbus, Vartan X., Spike, Kieran, BJ McFrisky, daltro305, Dark Zephyr, Dixie Rect, and Tom DB62.
Rebuttals:
> Not case closed. Laws are fungible because laws are often contrary one to another, and because laws (despite all the highfalutin phraseology) always lack specificity. This is why we have lawyers, judges, and appeals.
> How does anyone posting here know what Trayvon Martin thought of Gay rights.
> The NAACP, The Rainbow/Push Coalition and other organizations have included LGBT rights in their definition of Civil Rights.
> OJ Simpson didn’t profile his victims. He’s an abusive douche who killed because of jealousy. The only thing the OJ trial and the Zimmerman trial have in common is prosecuting attorneys who were so sure of their own skills that they tried their cases using emotional manipulation rather than fact.
So, all you dumbasses: do a little reading and a little thinking before spitting your drivel.
Tackle
@ Vartan X: What proof do you have that Trayvon was a thug? I guess for you his skin color and the fact that he wore a hoodie is enough for you. And Zimmerman,,, lets see. At the age of 21, he was charged with assaulting a police offecer and resisting arrest. And an ex-fiancee filed a restraining order against him. And the killing of Trayvon could have been prevented if Zimmerman had taken the dispatchers advice and not confront Trayvon. So whoes the real thug?
Tackle
@Vartan X: Regardless of how Trayvon felt about gay rights, that’s irrelevent to what happend the night of the shooting.
Tackle
@DCNimbus: You say the jury has decided, and that should be the end of it. Then why in the fu@k are you on here commenting?? And what you call a silent majority of folks who think justice was done is in reality a small minority of bigots like yourself. And Zimmerman’s story being consistant does NOT equate with being truthful. It could be a consistant lie.
And speaking of old pics, they use & reuse old pics of Matthew Shepard not the ones in later life. Are you outraged about that?
@Kieran: Why don’t you call or email the 35 orgaizations and ask them? I see you still have an unhealthy obsession with Black people.
And thoes who do not wish to get involved and do not want to support, then DONT… We don’t need or want you. We have enough decent minded members of the GLBT community standing strong on this issue…
Tackle
@zrocqs: Good rebuttals. Not only are they, as you say, “dumbasses”, but to harbor and promote that type of mentality they have definately tapped into something evil.
DCNimbus
@Tackle: whether Zimmerman was truthful or not was left up to the 6 person jury to decide, and which I respect. Everyone is a little bit racially biased as evidenced here by the comments. All the folks who think Zimmerman is guilty of murder, when in fact he was defending himself are racially biased against white/latinos- you assume all of us are de facto racially baised just because we are white and hispanic. I’m sorry that your OPINIONS were not refectled by the actual trial. Thank god our legal system is still based on FACTS and LAWS, even if the news media isn’t. Case in point- NBC’s doctored 911 tapes that worked everyone into a frenzied lather that GZ was racially biased. He wasn’t, but the damage was already done even when the full tapes were released. Thank God Zimmerman was judged on the basis of laws and facts. I hope he sues the pants off NBC AND sues the state for wrongful prosecution. Done.
DCNimbus
One thing is certainly clear from these posts. Black people do not understand white people and white people do not understand black people.
Samuel
@Tackle: Thank you for that information. Did not realize that Zimmerman had a criminal record. assaulting a police officer and a domestic violence charge against his wife.
I think that should be proof enough who could have possibly been the aggressor, Zimmerman or the 21 year old kid who happened to be black.
Some of the comments here by GWM reminds us how much of education needs to be done in the LGBTQ community. Racial rights are gay rights and gay rights are racial rights!
Twelvepla
@DCNimbus: no they most certainly do not, and that’s ok, as long as you understand that they are both two separate cultures divided by almost 500 years of constant drama.
Samuel
@Tackle: Thank you for that information. Didn’t realize that Zimmerman had a criminal record including assaulting a police officer and a domestic violence charge against his wife.
I think that should be proof enough who could have possibly been the aggressor: Zimmerman or the 21 year old kid who happened to be black.
Some of the comments here by GWM reminds us how much of education needs to be done in the LGBTQ community regarding racial rights. What is heartening though is the number of gay men who ARE standing up to this hate and calling for justice against this racial judicial decision.
DCNimbus
@Samuel: The real untold story about Trayvon Martin was that he was a juvenile delinquent who was suspended from high school twice in a 6 month period. He was far from the angelic creature the civil rights community is trying to portray. So now that the truth is again an even field- we can yet AGAIN see how the jury came up with their reasonable verdict. Again, NOT about race.
DCNimbus
@Samuel: Too bad this case is about neither gay nor racial rights. It’s about a man defending himself against a man who was on top of him beating him.
Samuel
@Twelvepla: I didn’t realize slavery was a drama. Maybe for the Masters it was but for the slaves it was a lived reality.
DCNimbus
@Samuel: It always comes back to slavery. My family were German and Italian immigrants. We never owned anyone and were not responsible for the slave trade in ANY way. We gave/give everyone equal opportunities. Now living in Washington, DC I can say I have experienced racial bias against me by African Americans. It goes both ways.
Vartan X.
@Tackle:
He was a thug because he acted like one and assaulted the neighborhood watch volunteer, not due to his skin color. It’s unfortunate that people like you see only race and nothing but race. Had Trayvon been white, the case would have made it even to the local media. I quit watching TV for the last few weeks due to relentless race baiting being spewed out of the screen.
As for Zimmerman’s prior criminal allegations, it might or might not relevant in this case. Don’t you believe that people are capable of reforming? Or do you believe that only blacks can reform like Tookie Williams whose execution was protested by exactly the same crowd that screams “racism” in Zimmerman’s case?
Tackle
@Vartan X: How in the hell would you know if Trayvon. assaulted anyone that night. Were you there? No!! Then don’t speak of things you don’t know about. It makes you look foolish. It seems like people like you are more obsessed with race and when you’re getting your ass kicked on the issue, you want to flip the script. Yes I do believe that people can change. But for bigots like you and some others on here, it’s gonna take a hellove an effort. @ DCNimbus: Grasping at straws. Trayvon being suspended from school doesn’t equate to the assault history of Zimmerman. Try again…
zrocqs
@DCNimbus: You claim in several posts that this is not an issue of race, yet in one post you say, “Everyone is a little bit racially biased…”, and in another you state, “Black people do not understand white people, and white people do not understand black people.” Your statements are absurd, and what’s more absurd is that you don’t recognize the contradiction of your own thoughts. You obviously have some thoughts that are wrong. Allow me to help you sort this out.
As long as we’re all speaking (or writing) the same language, we can understand one another. For instance, the Zimmerman juror who is now looking for a book deal referred to peaceful demonstrations calling for the arrest and prosecution of Mr. Zimmerman as “riots” during jury selection. She obviously does not understand what a riot is. Had she been asked to define the word “riot”, it might have made her personal biases apparent. Perhaps she would have been dismissed from jury duty. (I would have asked her what she thought of the Tea Party riots from a couple of years ago, but I’m a smartass.) So you see, asking questions is one way to foster understanding. Try is sometime.
You say Mr. Zimmerman should sue NBC and the State of Florida. He filed suit against NBC long ago. He will almost certainly lose. NBC edited the tape of his 911 call. It was a boneheaded decision, no doubt. But he would have to prove intent to defame and loss of income and/or community standing. He’s extremely unlikely to succeed. He’s received hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations, and he’s also had people rioting…er, demonstrating, on his behalf. Money and community support = bye-bye lawsuit. As to suing Florida, such a case would likely be dismissed posthaste. Even if it were allowed to proceed, Mr. Zimmerman could be opening himself up to having to answer questions he wants to avoid. His lawyers will strongly advise him to forgo such a suit, if he should want to take your advice.
Vartan X.
@Tackle:
If Trayvon didn’t assault Zimmerman, the he must have bashed himself against concrete sidewalk to make it look like he was assaulted. By the way, you weren’t there either, so how can you be so certain that Zimmerman racially profiled Trayvon? After series of robberies in this neighborhood, Zimmerman as a neighborhood watchman had every right to be concerned when he saw someone loitering and lurking around the houses. The alleged racial profiling is a pure speculation that vehement bigots like yourself believe in to further your hatred for the white man.