Videos have been circulating online of Republicans harassing patrons at a popular Dallas LGBTQ bar. The bar was hosting a family-friendly drag event that was open to all ages. While a group of people was waiting in line outside, a group of Republicans came up and began harassing them for absolutely no reason.
The group claims they’re against “grooming” and were harassing families in order to “save the kids”. At one point, one of the men with a loudspeaker even told the patrons to “repent”.
The Alt-Right mob appears to be led by John Doyle, a 22-year-old angry white boy who hates everyone but himself. He’s made verbal attacks against Martin Luther King Jr. and it’s reported he even told the cops to go inside the gay bar and shoot the patrons, stating, “The sheriffs in Texas need to go in there and blow off all their heads.”
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The biggest issue here is that the Republican party has festered into absolute insanity, brainwashing around 50% of the American public to believe that this kind of attitude is not only ok, but should be celebrated. In fact, after news of the event, a lawmaker in Texas even promised to make it illegal for kids to attend drag shows. It’s since been reported that DeSantis wants to do the same.
Sadly, hating LGBTQ people is nothing new, especially for the Republican party. From claiming that trans athletes are men in disguise who just want to beat women at sports, to saying that all gays have AIDS and are contagious, the Republican party has always used the LGBTQ community to distract their voters from real issues – such as the fact that Republican economic policies don’t actually benefit the common person.
Instead of admitting that Republican policies are responsible for hindering the growth of America and its economy, they have to rile up their base in a cult-like frenzy over random issues like abortion, LGBTQ people, immigrants, non-Christians, and people of color.
Making matters worse is that most of America’s police force and military personnel are Republicans themselves, making it impossible to know if those who are supposed to protect us actually care about protecting us.
The only way for America to move forward is by combatting Republican extremism. According to a piece by ABC News written shortly after the Buffalo shooting:
Experts said there are two routes to combatting white supremacist extremism in America — personally and through policy.
For example, experts say America’s gun violence problem has only made racist violence more deadly. White supremacy has been the motive behind several fatal mass shootings in recent years, past ABC News reporting shows. Experts recommend gun control efforts as a potential solution to deadly extremism.
“This is a deep-seated challenge in the United States, particularly in a culture where individuals have such easy access to guns,” Jones said. “That’s the difference, frankly, between the U.S. and Europe right now, which also has a significant white supremacist challenge in Germany, the U.K., several Nordic countries. What they don’t have, though, is easy access to guns.”
Others stress the importance of getting government funding for improved security in community centers and gathering places, as well as prevention programs and resources that intervene in the radicalization process.
On a personal level, experts recommend calling out racism and white supremacy in your communities as another way to de-normalize and de-platform racist narratives.
Experts also recommend watching out for loved ones who may be encountering extremist ideals online, and avoid leaving them isolated. They say isolation and vulnerability can become a pathway to radicalization.
“Your silence is your acceptance,” Rashawn Ray, senior fellow at The Brookings Institution, told ABC News.
And while these quotes are directed at racism, the same goes for homophobia and combatting hatred against LGBTQ people.
