'Hate speech turns into hate action, and actions based on hate almost took my life from me at 25 years old,' Michael Anderson, who was bartending at Club Q the night of the shooting that left 5 people dead and 17 others injured, told members of Congress.
Two survivors of the Nov. 19 attack on a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, told members of Congress on Wednesday that they believe the shooting was the result of escalating anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.
“To the politicians and activists who accuse LGBTQ people of grooming children and being abusers: Shame on you,” he said. “As leaders of our country, it is your obligation to represent all of us, not just the ones you happen to agree with. Hate speech turns into hate action, and actions based on hate almost took my life from me at 25 years old. I beg you all to consider your words before you speak them, for someone may use those words to justify action — action that may take someone’s life.
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