WATCH: Equality Florida #ForThe49 Rally Protests Trump and Rubio Headlining an Anti-Gay Conference

‘We Cannot Allow This Bigotry to Go Unchecked in Our Backyard’

Equality Florida’s “Rally to End Hate #ForThe49” began this morning in Orlando, Florida, to protest Donald Trump and Marco Rubio addressing an anti-LGBT conference hosted by Christian evangelical extremists. That conference, “Rediscovering God in America,” is a two-day event that takes place just miles from the site of the Pulse Massacre and during the tragedy’s two-month anniversary.

“Exactly two months after the Pulse Nightclub massacre, presidential candidate Donald Trump and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio will headline a conference hosted by notorious anti-LGBTQ extremists in Orlando,” the rally’s event page reads. This mirrors the statement issued by two top Democratic National Committee leaders denouncing the Republicans for speaking at the conference.

“Rediscovering God in America” is hosted by the American Renewal Project, which Equality Florida advises, “likened gay people to Nazis and called on Christians to ‘risk martyrdom’ to block gays from marrying.” The American Renewal Project leader, David Lane penned a 2013 op-ed calling for a “war to restore a Christian America.” 

Comprised of Equality Florida members, staff, volunteers and community partners, the rally, which attracted nearly 200 progressives, according to Equality Florida, aimed to gather peacefully in opposition to the organization, Donald Trump, and Marco Rubio, while also calling for common sense gun measures and fully-inclusive non-discrimination policies.

“I wonder if Marco Rubio or Donald Trump have ever lost a family member to a hate crime?,” Celia Ruiz, the sister of one of the Pulse victims, Juan Ramon Guerrero, asked when speaking to supporters today. “I wonder if they know the pain that comes from losing a family member in this manner? If they knew this pain… I doubt Marco Rubio and Donald Trump would be promoting this conference, promoting intolerance and hate.”

“Shame on you, Marco Rubio,” Ruiz told the crowd.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence posted this tweet:

Orlando Weekly posted video of the beginning of the rally via Facebook Live. Watch below:

“We cannot allow this bigotry to go unchecked in our backyard,” the rally page advised, promising that “together we will make it absolutely clear that hatred and bigotry will no longer go unchallenged, especially here in Orlando.”

 

Image by Equality Florida via Twitter