‘Shame on you’: Club Q survivors blame GOP rhetoric for mass violence – CNN
CNN
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Survivors of the Club Q mass shooting directly tied Republicans’ rhetoric to the massacre at the Colorado LGBTQ nightclub and detailed their experiences on the night of the shooting, in prepared testimony read before the House Oversight and Reform committee Wednesday.
“To the politicians and activists who accuse LGBTQ people of grooming children and being abusers: shame on you,” said Michael Anderson, who survived the shooting. “As leaders of our country, it is your obligation to represent all of us, not just the ones you happen to agree with. Hate speech turns into hate action, and actions based on hate almost took my life from me, at 25 years old.”
Survivor James Slaugh gave emotional testimony, describing getting shot and watching his loved ones bleed. He also placed direct blame on lawmakers’ hateful rhetoric, saying it was “the direct cause” of the Club Q massacre. He also warned of the damage caused by hateful rhetoric that does not explicitly call for violence, including rhetoric on which bathrooms LGBTQ people can use and whether they can join certain sports teams.
“Hate rhetoric from politicians, religious leaders, and media outlets is at the root of the attacks like at Club Q, and it needs to stop now. Rhetoric that seeks to silence what sports we can play, what bathrooms we can use, how we define our family and who I can marry,” Slaugh said.”The hateful rhetoric you have heard from elected leaders is the direct cause of the horrific shooting at Club Q. We need elected leaders to demonstrate language that reflects love and understanding, not hate and fear.”
In her opening remarks, Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, a Democrat from New York, said, “My heart breaks for those who endured this ruthless act …….