On Jan. 22, members of the activist group Gays Against Guns (GAG) gathered in the garden at the Stonewall National Monument to discuss upcoming plans for their 10th anniversary year and how to refocus their efforts in response to anti-LGBTQ violence, hate speech, and legislation.
GAG was established in 2016 following the deadly mass shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, where 49 individuals were killed. Since then, it has been their mission to highlight the intersections between gun violence and weaponized hatred in an effort to bring awareness to targeted attacks on the LGBTQ community.
Human Beings — individuals dressed in all white clothing and representing those taken by gun violence — surrounded the podium as they held up posters of individuals like Akyra Murray, a victim of the Pulse mass shooting; Joaquin Oliver, a victim of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland; and Renee Nicole Good, who was killed by an ICE officer on Jan. 7.
Marti Gould Cummings, a well known New York City-based LGBTQIA+ activist, spoke out against the current gun epidemic in America, as they urged people to fight for change.
“When legislators speak out and enact policies targeting our community, that signals to others that they can react harmfully,” Cummings said. “We’re seeing ICE blatantly shooting people at point blank rage — that is a direct result of a society that has uplifted guns over humanity.”
Cummings further spoke out about the ways that these gun laws are not only affecting them, but how they affect everyone who has to live in fear of being targeted every day.
“When I go to the movies, or the theater, or a restaurant, the first thing I do is check where the nearest exit is, and that is not the way I want to live,” they said.
Cummings further urged attendees to speak out against these enacted policies and make an effort to reach out to local legislators and policymakers to encourage them to address gun violence.
Following Cummings was Paul Rowley, an Irish filmmaker who has followed GAG for the past 10 years and documented each step of the movement. Rowley is working on a documentary, which was edited from around 500 hours of GAG footage to 90 minutes. The film is set to premiere in the upcoming anniversary year.
As he recounted his journey with GAG and the making of this documentary, Rowley discussed growing up in a period of extreme gun violence in Ireland and moving to America to get away from that. Now, however, he is witnessing a similar cycle.
“To think that there are over 40,000 people who have died from gun violence in this country, while people make money off the sales of guns and the trading of stocks that allows this to continue, is sickening,” said Rowley. “We need to dig down to the root of this problem, while honoring the dead.”
Jay Walker, president of Gays Against Guns, closed the gathering by reminding attendees of the group’s mission statement of inclusivity and direct action, while also acknowledging the recent death of Renee Nicole Good and how this killing highlights the intersections between gun violence and marginalized communities.
“Renee Nicole Good was a woman, a lesbian, and an ally of Black and Brown immigrant communities,” said Walker. “Those intersecting identities were a triple threat to the white supremacist patriarchy as exemplified by the Trump administration.”
Walker further stated that Gays Against Guns will be leading many events in their 10th anniversary year to protest this violence, including a trip to Washington D.C. on Feb. 14 to reprise their “Bloody Valentine” action, a movement where they give bloody valentine’s, while also singing “My Bloody Valentine,” to all those who take money from the National Rifle Association.
To learn more about these events and stay updated on the release of Rowley’s documentary, keep an eye on GAG’s website.
See a trailer of the forthcoming documentary below.
