Extremist Groups Planning to Attack LGBTQ+ Businesses and Events During Pride Month

It's Pride Month, which means it's a time for celebrating LGBTQ+ love. But it's also a time that we need to be on extra watch for ignorant and hateful trash protesting our existence. With the recent rise of anti-LGBTQ+ hate in the media and in legislation around the country, that threat is apparently even worse this year. According to numerous watchdog organizations that keep an eye on extremist groups, both the Patriot Front and the Proud Boys are gearing up to attack LGBTQ+ businesses and events during Pride month in numbers larger than ever before.

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Private messages obtained from Telegram message groups have reportedly shown numerous banners and signs with anti-LGBTQ+ slurs and messages on them. Heidi Bierich, the co-founder of Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, told Insider, "We are seeing just a singular focus on LGBTQ people." She added that there was a specific focus on "violence" and that they have a particular worry that the January 6th attempted insurrection was just a precursor to what's in store, particularly because they've had so much time to plan and prepare.

The Telegram chats also show that the Proud Boys and Patriot Front are looking to "challenge this perversion of the Nuclear Family and Gender" by reclaiming June into "Proud Month" and specific events as "Proud Day." These extremist groups aren't just ignorant to LGBTQ+ people, but are unsurprisingly racist pieces of $h*t, as well, and are planning to disrupt Juneteenth celebrations, as well.

In an interview with NPR last year, Josh Nunes, the leader of a hate group based in Florida, credited the Republican party's attacks on drag queens and trans people as the reason for a recent surge in his group's recruitments. "What we have seen is certain types of activism definitely gets interest and recruitment up. And that's where like the drag queen $h*t — like everybody wants to be a part of the team shutting that down," the sorry excuse for a human told them.

The surge in anti-LGBTQ+ attacks is not new this year. Last year alone saw nearly 200 anti-LGBTQ+ attacks from the groups, as tracked by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. In fact, the organization says in its report that, "Anti-LGBT+ mobilization — including demonstrations, political violence, and offline propaganda activity — has risen to its highest levels since ACLED started collecting data for the United States in 2020."

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Keep your wits about you this year, even more so than in years past. But remember that we can't (*WON'T*) live our lives in fear. These reports are important for us to be aware of, but to be clear, one of the best ways we can show our strength is in strength of numbers, and in our existing unapologetically. Go to your local Pride Parade, march in your local Queer Liberation March, and make sure to remind your straight friends, families, and general allies that we need their vocal support—and votes during elections—more than ever.

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