In a shocking act of nincompoopery, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) totally eliminated any reference to the LGBTQ community in his official proclamation commemorating the third anniversary of the Pulse nightclub massacre on June 12.
After being called out for the glaring omission, DeSantis tried blaming an unnamed “staff member” for scrubbing the reference to the queer community.
Pulse nightclub catered to an LGBTQ crowd. The night of the attack was also promoted as “Latin Night,” which was another item overlooked by the governor’s remarks, which initially referred only to “Orlando and the Central Florida community.”
Following the negative outcry, especially on social media and from political opponents, DeSantis issued a revised version of his statement, which included reference to the LGBTQ and Hispanic communities.
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He later told media he was “not involved” in drafting the first proclamation and if he had been he certainly would have remembered to mention the two communities that were most directly impacted by the massacre.
“When someone said that this wasn’t in there, I said then put it in there,” DeSantis told reporters. “So we fixed it. Sometimes these things happen.”
Riiiight.
The Pulse massacre claimed the lives of 49 people and caused injuries in an additional 53. A gunman named Omar Mateen attacked the venue after swearing allegiance to ISIL, the Islamic terrorist group. It remains the deadliest attack on LGBTQ people in Untied States history.
Related: Antigay pastors commemorate Pulse shooting with “Make America Straight Again” conference
Cam
It’s bigotry not nincompoopery.
That is the word Republicans want, where LGBT people don’t exist.
Kangol2
Is anyone surprised? The GOP shows in so many ways that it cannot stand LGBTQ people. Erasing us from a tragedy in which a terrorist specifically targeted us is about as insulting, cruel and disrespectful as you can get.
Billysees
Perfectly said …
Mikey E
No trans people died at Pulse. So why would the governor mention “LGBTQ” people? Why can’t we talk about gay people in any context without being forced to mention transgenderism?
Kangol2
Why are you on here hating on trans people when it was unbridled hatred for LGBTQ people by the terrorist in Orlando that led to the deaths of all of these people? You don’t know the sexualities or genders of everyone who was killed and shot, do you? Do you? What we do know, however, was that it was hatred of them that led to their deaths, so the least the governor could do would be to acknowledge that fact, as well as the fact that the terrorist also picked Latino Night, slaughtering Latinx, Black, White and mixed race LGBTQ and straight people in the primes of their lives. Please, take your trans-phobia elsewhere.
Cam
One of the same screenames that ALWAYS defends bigots, attacks LGBT people, and tries to also attack racial minorities makes up a false fact to deflect from the Republican’s bigotry.
Please tell the RNC to send smarter trolls.
IWantAFullBeard
1) Is “transgenderism” even a word? 2) How do you know the sexual orientation of those who died in the shooting? Did you call them in heaven?
Rock-N-RollHS
Weak. Especially as there are Republicans who support gay issues–I know quite a few. But most people here can’t entertain the complexity of the world. It’s as bad as the generalizations Fox shock jocks make about Democrats.