On the evening of June 21, ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) organized a protest outside of the Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan to denounce his racist bigotry and right-wing homophobia. The rally was strategically planned following an afternoon meeting Trump had with several anti-gay and anti-trans religious leaders, including the president of the Family Research Council, an anti-gay hate group. The protesters stood against Trump’s hatred, chanting “Racist, sexist, anti gay! Donald Trump go away!” Several ACT UP members spoke out to criticize Trump’s attempt to use the massacre in Orlando to support his racist and xenophobic views against the Muslim community.
ACT UP was founded in 1987 by gay rights activists in New York City to bring awareness to the AIDS epidemic in response to the media and government’s negligence to address it. They demanded an end to the stigma surrounding the disease and fought for affordable and effective treatment for those living with AIDS. In September 1984, seven ACT UP members chained themselves to the VIP balcony at the New York Stock Exchange to demand that the sole manufacturer of an FDA-approved AIDS treatment drug lower its ridiculous $10,000 a year price tag at that time. After the demonstration, the company lowered the yearly cost per patient to $6,400.
On Tuesday, protesters staged a die-in in solidarity with the victims of hate crimes like the Orlando tragedy. A small group of pro-Trump supporters gathered nearby, carrying signs that said “Build the Wall” and chanting the same slogan. To say the least, they were a small minority compared to the roughly 100 protectors standing against Trump and his bigotry, with even a mainstream media reporter calling the action “the biggest anti-Trump action [he’d] seen.”
Liberation News spoke with Stewart Stout from the ANSWER Coalition who explained, “In the wake of the tragedy in Orlando, over the past week the LGBTQ community in New York City and elsewhere has taken to the streets day after day and said in a united voice that our anger and grief will not be used as an excuse for more repression against Muslim and Arab people or to increase oppressive police intervention in LGBTQ communities of color. We want the bigots who made this tragedy to be held accountable. We know that what happened at Pulse is a direct result of the ruling class’ divide and conquer tactics. You could not have Orlando without having the toxic atmosphere of homophobia and bigotry that these very politicians and media outlets have created through their countless proselytizing and agitation against queer people. The reactionaries from the Family Research Council and other rightwing bigots who today met with Trump, an arch racist himself, have the blood of our 49 dead sisters and brothers on their hands and we intend to hold them accountable for it.”
Oppressed people like the LGBTQ community, people of color, Muslims, women, and immigrants will continue to rise up against the violence and hatred that Trump’s bigotry continues to inspire. The tragedy in Orlando is reflective of the systematic violence and oppression our communities face. We must continue to unite and fight back!
