June means Pride Month in the United States, and around the country this is celebrated with concerts, festivals, parades and events.
But the festivities are partly overshadowed by an increasingly violent tone and threats of violence from, among others, the white power movement. At the same time, new anti-LGBTQ laws are being enacted in Republican states at an unprecedented rate.
In addition, amounts of misinformation and hatred circulate in social media, where the LGBTQ movement is equated with pedophiles and Satanists who prey on American children.
Organizers of Pride celebrations in several states have chosen to completely or partially cancel their events due to fear or concern about legal repercussions. Assassination threats have also caused costs for security arrangements to skyrocket.
“A climate of fear”
In Texas’ largest city, Houston, the planned pride festival has been canceled and replaced by a parade, citing, among other things, overwhelming costs to ensure security.
Pride festivals have also been canceled in several places in Florida. In Tampa, sponsors have since pulled out due to concerns about possible violations of the law. In the smaller community of St. Cloud with reference to “a climate of fear”.
Shortly after the announcement, a sign appeared in the city with the call to “kill all homosexuals”.
National emergency
America’s largest LGBT organization, the Human Rights Campaign, earlier this week declared a “national emergency” for LGBT people in the country. According to the organization, the background is that threats and violence against LGBTQ people are becoming more common and that people are forced to flee their homes.
The non-profit organization ACLUwhich charts attacks on the LGBTQ movement, says nearly 500 anti-LGBTQ laws have been voted through across the US so far this year, more than double the number passed in all of 2022.
The laws concern, among other things, a ban on teaching about LGBTQ issues in school, a ban on transgender people participating in school sports and a ban on drag shows.