The killing of Laura Ann “Lauri” Carleton over the display of a rainbow Pride flag outside her store in San Bernardino County is a horrific reminder of the deadly fear queer people and our allies live with every day.

Opinion

Carleton, 66, was shot and killed on August 18 after an argument with a stranger about the rainbow Pride flag she had hung outside her boutique store in the small Southern California town of Cedar Glen, which is roughly 80 miles east of Los Angeles.

Though not a member of the LGTBQ+ community herself, Carleton was reportedly a vocal advocate and ally to the queer community. The suspect “made several disparaging remarks’‘ about the flag before shooting Carleton, according to a police press release. The suspect fled the scene and was later killed by police in a standoff.

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The dimensions of tragedy in this story begin and end with hatred for our LGTBQ+ neighbors across America, even within a state as progressive as California.

According to a new study by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, LGBTQ+ people are nine times more likely than non-LGBTQ+ people to be victims of violent hate crimes.

It’s tragic that the support Carleton showed our community symbolizes the kind of acceptance and fellowship that can make queer youth feel safer and more welcome, and yet she was killed for showing that kindness. In a 2019 Journal of Youth and Adolescence article, Family Science Assistant Professor Dr. Jessica Fish found that LGBTQ+ youth who participated in community-based support programs report having better mental health and are less likely to fall victim to substance abuse.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), which this year declared a national state of emergency for the LGBTQ+ community, reported that a record 520 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in U.S. state legislatures in 2023, including more than 220 bills that specifically target transgender and non-binary people.

“The multiplying threats facing millions in our community are not just perceived – they are real, tangible and dangerous,” HRC President Kelley Robinson said. “In many cases, they are resulting in violence against LGBTQ+ people, forcing families to uproot their lives and flee their homes in search of safer states, and triggering a tidal wave of increased homophobia and transphobia that puts the safety of each and every one of us at risk.”

In the state capitol just last June, Republicans walked out of the legislature during a Pride Month celebration. In July, the Chino Hills Unified School District voted to forcibly “out” transgender students to the entire student body and their parents; and that same month, protestors violently stormed a Woodland bar making threats and canceling a drag event.

Hate crimes were happening in 2012 when Brandy Martell, a 37-year-old transgender woman, was fatally shot in a car in Oakland, and back in 2008, when a 14-year-old boy shot his openly gay 15-year-old classmate in the head while they were at school in Oxnard. More than 20 years ago, the double murder of Gary Matson and Winfield Mowder shocked the state when they were killed by Christian extremists simply for living openly as gay men in Shasta County.

Tragically, that danger has not ended. The killing of Carleton in California last weekend demonstrates the ongoing threats to queer people and their allies today.

A frightening consequence of Carleton’s murder now, in the face of these increasing attacks, would be if it causes potential allies to take a neutral stance or refrain from continuing the necessary cultural conversations around these topics. Hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community occur every day and have for decades; it is dangerous for us every day. Your continued allyship not only merits our deepest gratitude, but also means the most to us during the times it is most dangerous for you, too.