OFFICIAL STATEMENT

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Protect Your Vote, Stand Up for Democracy

The display of violence that placed the Nation’s Capital at the Center of an historic assault against our democracy has shaken many of us. At the North County LGBTQ Resource Center, we too have watched events unfold in Washington D.C. with shock and dismay.

 

A mob of insurrectionists, white supremacists and other supporters of President Trump surrounded, attacked, and invaded the US Senate during the certifications of our states’ electoral votes. The attempt to intimidate, overturn and change the course of our democratic vote was plotted, instigated, encouraged, and fomented by the President even as he continued to tell lies about the validity of our election and your vote.

 

While shockingly disturbing, for us, the attack on our democracy is no surprise. Having survived the last four years of repeated attacks on our communities- BIPOC, LGBTQ and immigrant communities- with xenophobic and racist policies, these acts were fully predictable. In fact, since the election these acts have been encouraged and telegraphed by the president and his accomplices in both the House of Representatives, the Senate, and in various state legislatures, as the blatant dog whistles to incite violence that they are.

 

The display of privilege and the differential treatment towards these domestic terrorists is also fully apparent. In fact, “good people” like the Proud Boys were able to approach the Nation’s Capital armed and in military gear without any consequences. In these same streets just last July, peaceful Black Lives Matter protests were promptly attacked by police and the National Guard to satisfy a presidential photo op. The hypocrisy shines brighter than a hundred suns.

The North County LGBTQ Resource Center’s commitment to democracy, truth, and social justice reminds us that these are all fragile things that we are all responsible for keeping strong and safe. No less important is our commitment to our LGBTQ community, friends, and family as we all navigate these challenging times.

 

We call for our communities and allies to be vigilant and aware and to denounce any attempt to undermine our votes and representation. We call for a full investigation into the evident display of differential treatment from the police. And we join others who call for justice to all those attempting to overturn our democratic process.