SAAPRI is deeply saddened by the attack on at least 50 innocent queer and transgender victims of color at Pulse, an Orlando, Florida nightclub. SAAPRI joins the nation in mourning the senseless loss of lives and the unimaginable pain caused by this incident.
As we stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community, including especially the victims and their families, and in the wake of this tragedy, we must remain vigilant against Islamophobic and homophobic rhetoric. There are many people who live at the intersections of these identities, as LGBTQ+ Muslims, and they cannot be forgotten.
We cannot allow our communities to be divided at such a crucial moment. We must continue to speak out against scapegoating of immigrant and Muslim communities even as we fight for policy change and re-double our commitment to take on hate violence in partnership with LGBTQ communities.
Reema Kapur, Executive Director of SAAPRI