Congressman David N. Cicilline (RI-01), Chair of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus, spoke on the importance of not only condemning violence against the LGBTQI+ community, but also holding public figures – including Members of Congress – accountable for their dangerous rhetoric against the LGBTQI+ community.
During a House Oversight Committee hearing on “The Rise of Anti-LGBTQI+ Extremism and Violence in the United States,” the Congressman highlighted that “despite the fact that LGBTQ+ people make up roughly 7 percent of the population, 20 percent – or one in five – reported hate crimes last year were motivated by sexual orientation or gender identity bias.”
The Congressman also called out his Republican colleagues for their failure to address the LGBTQI+ community’s fear and the danger they are living in, stating, “I am disappointed—yet not surprised— that a few weeks after a killer murdered five people at an LGBTQI+ nightclub, the Republicans on this committee could not bring themselves to discuss anti-LGBTQI+ violence and its causes with our witnesses. Our community is scared. Terrified that we will be attacked going to the doctor. Scared that we will be attacked going to night clubs. Scared that we will be attacked simply for living as our authentic selves. And unfortunately, this fear is well-grounded. The attack at Club Q is only the latest high-profile example of violence against our community.”
You can watch the Congressman’s full remarks and exchange with the hearing witnesses below.
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