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Health & Fitness

I am Mark Carson: Anti-Gay Violence Hurts Us All

Mark Carson (32) was murdered in cold blood because he was gay. 
Mark Carson (32) was murdered in cold blood because he was gay. 

The repetition is not a typo. This needs to sink in. A son was taken from his family and a community is on notice that its not safe to walk to streets. Let us not forget that. 

As a LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) activist, I sometimes find myself desensitized to the violence aimed at our community. Some might call this a survival tactic because if I open myself up to the reality that everyday actions  like walking down street might be unsafe, I would live with constant anxiety or get burned out by the rage that would build thinking about these injustices. Or it could be out of laziness and complacency; with increasing social progress towards LGBT equality maybe I got too comfortable. 

And then there are the moments when I feel like I was punched in the stomach, a moment where the progressive bubble I have built around myself is popped. This moment happened when I read this article, Killer In Anti-Gay Hate Crime Laughed As He Told Cops: ‘I Shot Him In The Face’”. The line: “Any gay man in New York could have been Carson.” took the wind out of me. Hit. Bam. Yes I could be Mark Carson.  And then I read a sign found at a rally for Carson, “Marriage means nothing if we are being gunned down” And I realized, yet again, that we have so much more work to do. 

But I live in Rockland County. This is happening in NYC. Anti-gay violence happens everywhere. Ask a LGBT student in our high schools, or your gay friend if they ever felt unsafe or have been taunted. The likely answer is yes. And when there is a rise in LGBT violence anywhere in the US (let alone in NYC) it sends the message to the rest of the LGBT community that it might not be safe where we live. 

Collectively, we must ask ourselves what fuels this violence. Every report I have read indicates a dramatic increase in anti-gay violence. As a community we must denounce this violence and work to create safer spaces for all our residents.  

Mark Carson(32), Matthew Shepard (21), Gwen Araujo (17), Lawrence “Larry” King (15) all murdered because of hate.  These names are burned in my memory and will not be forgotten.

I am Mark, Matthew, Gwen, and Larry and the countless unnamed and unknown victims of anti-LGBT violence.  LGBT or not we need to stand up against the violence. 

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