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Going against the grain after Orlando shooting, LGBT groups embrace guns

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posted on Sep, 23 2016 @ 02:02 PM
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Going against the grain after Orlando shooting, LGBT group embraces guns


Jonathan Fischer is never sure who’s going to be more surprised when he, as he likes to put it, comes out of the gun closet — the gun aficionados who find out he’s gay or the gay friends who find out he likes shooting guns.

When the 38-year-old television editor showed up last month to a defensive handgun class near Piru with a Glock 27 pistol on his hip, he wore a T-shirt sporting a rainbow-colored AK-47. His “gay-K-47,” he said.

In the days after 49 people were fatally shot at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., this summer, Fischer wanted to do something to make his community safer. So he started the West Hollywood chapter of the Pink Pistols — a loosely organized, national LGBT gun group.

“If someone was to try and break into my home, and especially if someone were armed, I don’t want to fight back with a kitchen knife,” Fischer said. “And I don’t think that’s extremist or crazy.”


Interest in the Pink Pistols has increased since the Orlando attack, with new chapters springing up across the country, including the West Hollywood chapter and another one in North Hollywood. There was such an outpouring of support from firearms trainers, many of them straight, that the Pink Pistols’ website now has a map listing LGBT-friendly firearms instructors in every state.

The week of the attack, signs depicting a rainbow-colored Gadsden flag and the hashtag #ShootBack appeared in West Hollywood, where an estimated 46% of the population identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. City officials were outraged.

“Even during our heightened days of civil disobedience and protest, we have only advocated peaceful means, never arming ourselves and retaliating with violence,” said City Councilman John Duran, who is gay.

Gwendolyn Patton, the national spokeswoman for the Pink Pistols, has spent the summer trying to keep up with the all inquiries about the group and how to start new chapters.

“People don’t like to feel helpless,” said Patton, a lesbian who lives outside Philadelphia.


In the weeks following the Obama administrations dismal response to the tragic, targeted hate crime that claimed the lives of 49 members of the LGBT community in Orlando, the people have taken it upon themselves to exercise their second amendment rights to ensure the safety of themselves and the community they represent.

This has been compounded by the West's open doors policy to the influx of undocumented refugees from cultures that openly oppress homosexuals and countries that enforce laws to execute those found guilty of committing homosexual acts. It's a very real concern to the people in the LGBT community who are informed.

The fact of the matter is... armed gays don't get bashed.



edit on 23-9-2016 by Konduit because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 23 2016 @ 02:25 PM
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Good for them! I can't fault anyone for standing up for their own protection.



posted on Sep, 23 2016 @ 02:50 PM
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Orlando is just a giant cesspool of nothing good. Might as well call it the Chicago of the south, neverending violence down there. They can keep it I'd rather avoid Orlando.. But did notice this in the news this am
www.mynews13.com...



posted on Sep, 23 2016 @ 02:51 PM
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Honestly as a member of the LGBT community I think the left will start losing a lot of us soon. Under Trump the right has started calling out the atrocities committed against us in the middle east as well as demanding we be protected from extremists who espouse these beliefs and kill us at home. Something the left does it's best to hide and ignore.

On top of that, with this issue in particular, guns, many in the NRA after the incident opened their arms to the LGBT community to help us learn to shoot and defend ourselves, offering free lessons and more. NRA being big supporters of the right that also helps bridge the gap and extend an olive branch.

Won't lose all of us though. We did just get gay marriage thanks in part to the actions on the left, but, many of us are getting fed up with the left hiding or excusing harm against us if it doesn't fit the left wing agenda.

I for one am glad to see at least some on the right moving away from it being an extreme Islam vs. Christianity thing and starting to show more recognition for all the other groups targeted by these extremists. The right even has started to mention Muslim extremists targeting Muslims not a part of their sect more often as well.

Is one of the things that annoys me about the holocaust it's always made out to be about the Jews simply because they were in greater number.

I'm not convinced the right is truly ready to embrace us yet, but, are making strides at least to do so. The leaders on the left seem to be taking us for granted as they now move on to the Syrian refugee agenda, conveniently brushing our concerns aside on this issue as it's a bit of a nuisance along side the defense of the Muslim faith.

Personally I think right and left are using us and manipulating us, at least democrats and republicans. But here's many of the perceptions causing a shift for some in my community.



posted on Sep, 23 2016 @ 02:55 PM
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originally posted by: jaynkeel
Orlando is just a giant cesspool of nothing good. Might as well call it the Chicago of the south, neverending violence down there. They can keep it I'd rather avoid Orlando.. But did notice this in the news this am
www.mynews13.com...


Thanks for the area critique...

RR
Posting LIVE! from the "Chicago of the South"



posted on Sep, 23 2016 @ 02:58 PM
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originally posted by: Puppylove

Is one of the things that annoys me about the holocaust it's always made out to be about the Jews simply because they were in greater number.


Personally, I think right and left are using us and manipulating us, at least democrats and republicans. But here's many of the perceptions causing a shift for some in my community.


These two things are important, the first being that no one really talks about the "Pink Triangles" and other deaths of the GLBT+ community.

second, Yes, we are being used as political pawns from the Left AND the Right, I don't support any Government Party because I don't think any of them have us the GSM/GLBT+ community or any True Human Rights in their thoughts at all, if they did there wouldn't be States that are Legally allowed to discriminate based on Sexual-Orientation or Gender-Identity. if you had to pick a Party that had GLBT+ Interest from the Beginning it would be the Green Party, that is it.

I knew Two people who died in the Orlando Attack, i don't believe in Guns or Violence so it saddens me that we are going this way



posted on Sep, 23 2016 @ 03:06 PM
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a reply to: ReprobateRaccoon

just calling it as it is. If you doubt me watch the evening news for that area.



posted on Sep, 23 2016 @ 03:06 PM
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a reply to: YenSid

Honestly as much as I love the green party, when it comes to these issues it's identity politics same as anyone else on the left.

I'm tired of having hate crimes against blacks, women, LGBT, white people, ect all being treated as separate issues. All it results in is us turning on each other to try and get our rights heard first and them playing musical chairs with who they want to throw a token scrap to next. It also tends to result in scapegoating people who we label as the majority, which as a person who opposes discrimination am vehemently opposed to.

The first party that ditches identity politics and completely and wholly embraces human rights will get a lot of my respect. There is literally no good reason we can't look after human rights as a whole. We're all humans after all regardless of these differences.
edit on 9/23/2016 by Puppylove because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 23 2016 @ 03:24 PM
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a reply to: Puppylove

Like I said, I don't Support any Political Party, but as far as being for the GLBT+ community they have been from the Beginning, and not for Political Gain, and if you had to pick a Party based on Human Rights I would say that is the Best choice out of all of them



posted on Sep, 23 2016 @ 03:35 PM
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The LGBT community has never been opposed to guns as a whole, so there is no 'going against the grain' here.



posted on Sep, 23 2016 @ 03:37 PM
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Welcome my LGBT friends , you've always had the right to defend yourself. We've been here a awhile protecting those rights for you now that you need them , your welcome



posted on Sep, 23 2016 @ 03:48 PM
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Q: What do you call a liberal gun-grabber after they become the victim of a violent crime?

A: A recently converted conservative.



posted on Sep, 23 2016 @ 03:58 PM
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a reply to: YenSid

I wish I could agree. Not because I don't think their heart is in it, but because going about it the wrong way is often worse not going about it at all. Identity politics, simply put, only makes matters worse. It breeds division and resentment and competition by it's very nature.

The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

Don't get me wrong I like the Green Party more than the D and R, but they severely need a reformation in how they approach many subjects. A lot of their policy could with a bit of rewording be unifying. Some policies merged, and others ditched and left out completely since a different policy actually solves that issue without dividing us.

There are no good parties for anyone right now. I'll reluctantly say the green party is slightly better for having not been bought off yet. Then again, with their super ultra strong BLM ties I'm not as sure Soros isn't at least slightly putting a finger in that pie.
edit on 9/23/2016 by Puppylove because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 23 2016 @ 06:55 PM
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originally posted by: MongolianPaellaFish
The LGBT community has never been opposed to guns as a whole, so there is no 'going against the grain' here.


You didn't read the article, did you.



posted on Sep, 25 2016 @ 01:37 AM
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Always a positive thing when ANYONE takes their personal security as their own responsibility. Empowering our citizens across all demographics ensures we retain our founding values and prevent traitorous sedition from molesting our Constitution!

Trump/Pence 2016



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