Republican Lawmakers React To Anti-LGBTQ Violence
Roy Blunt
“It’s a damn shame that we have to hear about it.”
Jim Jordan
“We don’t have gay people in Ohio.”
Marjorie Taylor Greene
“Before I respond—were any of them Jewish?”
Matt Gaetz
“I can’t believe you would see the obvious evil in my eyes and still ask me about this.”
Ron DeSantis
“My state’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law prohibits me from offering my condolences.”
Bill Cassidy
“Focusing on how much I stoke anti-LGBTQ violence minimizes all the tireless work I put in every day toward endangering the lives of racial minorities, disabled people, and immigrants.”
Lindsey Graham
“…the L stands for ‘Likes to be a pedophile,’ the G stands for ‘Gotta be a pedophile,’ the B stands for ‘Boy, do I love being a pedophile,’ the T stands for…”
Tom Cotton
“I condemn leaving any LGBTQ people alive in the strongest possible terms.”
Rick Scott
“I love when I see the blood. The blood that flows, softly, softly, as it runneth over the cup of humanity. I see the wretched masses roiled in blood, massive tsunamis of hot red blood crashing o’er the people of this country. I see dark crimson gusts of wind-blown blood sweeping through the streets, filling all the empty pockets of this earth; I worship the blood, and Death is my master.”
Mike Pence
“I find it disgusting that a human being could do something that should be left to God.”
Ted Cruz
“Well, it’s complicated. Do I believe that being LGBTQ is wrong? Yes. Do I believe that LGBTQ people should be denied basic human rights in America? Yes. Have I loudly trumpeted hate speech toward the LGBTQ community? Yes. But do I think that violence should come upon them? Yes.”
John Boozman
“Imagine if your son was gay or transgender. You’d fucking hate him, right? Now imagine that on a large scale, and you can see why I’m so angry.”
Jim Inhofe
“For the last time, there is absolutely no connection between me wanting violence against LGBTQ people and violence against LGBTQ people, and any suggestion that I want people to commit violence against LGBTQ people just because I want people to commit violence against LGBTQ people is absurd.”
Kevin McCarthy
“I’m going to try to keep all of the right-wing House members underneath me happy by giving a thumbs-up but also frowning.”
Louie Gohmert
“It’s just nice to know my repeated call to arms to slaughter LGBTQ+ actually made a difference in the world.”
Brian Kemp
“Whoever does the most anti-LGBTQ violence this year wins a $20 gift card for Starbucks.”
Glenn Youngkin
“What about JFK? He got shot, and he was straight.”
Nikki Haley
“One of my best guns is gay.”
Rand Paul
“Don’t blame this on my rhetoric when I don’t even know what’s coming out of my mouth half the time.”
Matt Gaetz
“I’ll watch girls do stuff together if that would help.”
Marjorie Taylor Greene
“If I had been there, I would have been able to stop the crazed combat veteran who intervened.”
Chuck Grassley
“No one should experience violence just because of who they love. What? Oh, sorry, I thought you were asking about actual pedophiles.”
Marsha Blackburn
“My thoughts and prayers go out to anyone traumatized after learning there was a gay bar in town.”
Mitch McConnell
“If we kill enough of these people, it could really do wonders for our electoral calculus.”