The murder of [Lauri] Carleton is just the latest manifestation of right-wing
violence incited, cultivated and inspired by ex-president Donald Trump
and the Republican Party. Seeking to divide the working class and lay
the groundwork for further attacks on democratic rights, Republicans
have made anti-LGBTQ demagoguery and laws restricting gender affirming
care, drag shows and sex ed a central tenet of their far-right agenda.
A
tracker maintained by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has
recorded 494 “anti-LGBTQ bills” proposed in the 2023 legislative session
across all 50 states, virtually all sponsored by Republicans. Of these
bills, some of which ban gender-affirming care, 78 have already become
law, while 197 are classified by the ACLU as “advancing.”
-- Hong Jian, "California shop owner murdered over LGBTQ pride flag by fascist gunman" (WSWS).
