Store Owner Murdered by Christian Extremist for Flying Rainbow Flag

Republican politicians and Republican controlled state legislatures continue to whip up anti-LGBT hatred in order to pander to the ever more hideous Christofascist and white supremacist dominated party base and to further their own self-interests.  Sadly, hate speech and the normalization of hate have real world consequences, not, of course, that these Republicans could care a whit about the harm they do.  Friday this fanning of hatred towards LGBT Americans and citizens had deadly consequences in California where a shop owner was murdered by a Christian extremist who took issue with her flying a rainbow flag outside her business. As The Independent reports, after making derogatory remarks about the flag this religious extremist shot and killed the shop owner.  Ultimately, the shooter was killed by police, but the frightening reality is that there are likely others who will heed the Republican message of hate and do harm to LGBT individuals and/or their allies.  The Christofascists and their Republican allies continue to transform Christianity into a religion defined by hatred and bigotry even as they whine and bemoan the fact that the younger generations are leaving religion in droves because it has come to signify something ugly.   Here are highlights from The Independent:

Police have named a man who shot dead a 66-year-old California store owner following an argument over a Pride flag.

Travis Ikeguchi, 27, killed Laura Ann Carleton outside of her Mag.Pi clothing store in Cedar Glen after making “several disparaging remarks about a rainbow flag that stood outside the store,” the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office said.

Deputies responded to the incident around 5pm on Friday following reports of shots being fired. The mother of nine children was pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff’s office said in a statement. Ikeguchi was later shot dead during a confrontation with police.

Hollywood director Paul Feig, whose works include Bridesmaids and The Heat, posted a tribute saying that Carleton, who he called his “wonderful friend,” had been killed by a young man.

Ari and Kelsey Carleton, two of the shop owner’s nine children, wrote on Instagram that their “beautiful mommy” had been taken in a “senseless act of violence”.

“She was murdered over a pride flag that she proudly hung on her storefront. Make no mistake, this was a hate crime,” the daughters wrote. “Our family is broken. We have a long road ahead of us as we navigate this new reality without our loving matriarch.”

Ari and Kelsey Carleton said that in the two years since her mother opened her second Cedar Glen, vandals had on several occasions ripped down Pride flags hanging outside. Each time, her mother would replace them with bigger ones, they said.

Before fatally shooting Carleton, the suspect tore down the LGBTQ+ Pride flag that was hanging in front of the store and “yelled homophobic slurs” toward the woman. Ikeguchi reportedly lived in Cedar Glen and frequently posted hate-filled content on social media, sheriff’s officials said.

A report has found more than 350 anti-LGBTQ incidents in 46 states and the District of Columbia – as more anti-LGBTQ legislation is voted through across the country.

In reaction to the hate inspired murder, the Los Angeles Times has run and editorial encouraging people to fight the message of hate and violence and to fly rainbow flags in honor of Carleton and true American values.  Here are excerpts:

This would be a good time to fly your multicolored Pride flag. If you don’t have one, this might be a good time to get one.

Laura Ann Carleton flew the flag in front of her store in Cedar Glen, near Lake Arrowhead. San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department officials said a man shot Carleton to death on Friday after making disparaging comments about the flag. He fled, and was killed in a later confrontation with deputies.

Those like Carleton who fly the rainbow flag make a statement in support of solidarity, inclusiveness, welcome, dignity and equality. Those who violently attack the flag fliers make a statement of their own — a particularly un-American statement: No, not all people are created equal and not all people are entitled to life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness.

So fly the flag that Carleton flew, in her memory and honor, and in support for the right to express oneself and be oneself. Fly it in defiance of killers and terrorists who undermine personal freedom and expression. Fly it in support of our unalienable rights. Fly it in support of the LGBTQ+ community and its righteous defense against bigotry. Fly it for pride.