GLAAD CEO: Politicians’ Rhetoric ‘Does Lead to Violence’ and Hate

EXCERPT:

ELLIS: “We’ve seen over the past several years, too, more and more LGBTQ safe spaces close down just after Covid and whatnot. So they are getting smaller and smaller, but as a community, we always have Pride Month, and we always do find places and spaces, but I really think that it shouldn’t be on us to figure that out, when I feel as though that space was taken over by hate, discrimination, and that is a direct response from the rhetoric from these politicians that we have been seeing. Rhetoric does lead to violence, and we have been — we’re seeing a 12-year high in hate crimes, 41 percent increase in hate crimes against the transgender community. And we see a direct line between that and what our politicians are saying on the airwaves and how they are pushing forth over 300 anti-LGBTQ bills this year so far, bills that don’t need to exist, bills that are taking away our rights, that are policing our body.”