Hacker News Reader

Comment by babelthuap | Hacker News Reader

All valid points but being different is that really persecution? I would only consider it persecution if it harmed them physically or financially and on a large scale, not a small number of cases which will always exist and always will exist.

Take the Acadians ran out of Canada. To me that was persecution. Are LGBTQ being ran out of areas, physically beaten and murdered? No. Do they feel isolated because there is not that many of them? Of course. Are older folks stuck in their ways ever going to accept them? Probably not but that's not persecution just because someone doesn't like you. Only if they physically harm you or cause financial harm out of spite. I don't see that going on some massive scale.

View on HN

>I would only consider it persecution if it harmed them physically or financially and on a large scale, not a small number of cases which will always exist and always will exist.

There were mass shootings at LGBTQ clubs both in Orlando and Denver in the past few years....so yeah they're being murdered. Does it happen all the time? No. But has it happened and enough people killed to think that LGBTQ people might feel scared that it could happen near them, especially if they live in heavily GOP areas? Absolutely.

Don't forget, Florida's current governor openly courts actual neo-Nazis, and does nothing when they post signage on highways and other public spaces. And that's a state which has a sizable (and very wealthy) LGBTQ population in its biggest city.

Now imagine a state like Arkansas or Alabama that is governed by far-right reactionaries. You think some kid who is not gay by choice but by chance is going to feel safe when his elected representatives at local, state and federal levels openly embrace far-right Christian nationalist bullshit?

The one in Orlando, he tried to target another place first but it had too much security. He wasn't targeting an LGBTQ establishment. It was a weak target with no security. Believe what you want though but it was investigated. He wanted to kill people. It didn't matter who.

I don't know about the one in Denver but the same could be said for the Vegas shooting and other school shootings or even black communities. It happens.

Regardless, LGBTQ have parades annually in almost every city for decades and many other events. If they were being persecuted they would be beaten in the streets or worse. They are not but again, believe what you want. If you believe it then that is your right. I do not believe they are being persecuted like the Cajuns were in Canada or blacks in MS back during the MS Burning Days. That's not what is going on.

>The one in Orlando, he tried to target another place first but it had too much security. He wasn't targeting an LGBTQ establishment. It was a weak target with no security.

That doesn't excuse the fact that it WAS an LGBTQ establishment and some 40+ people were killed, most of whom were LGBTQ.

The one in Denver was very much a MAGA type and very anti LGBTQ.

>Regardless, LGBTQ have parades annually in almost every city for decades and many other events

Not every city. Every major blue city, in blue states, sure. But definitely not in some of the red states.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com