The FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have issued a public service announcement cautioning about the possibility of foreign terrorist attacks specifically aimed at members of the LGBTQ community. The announcement, issued on Friday, explained that “foreign terrorist organizations or supporters” could target events related to Pride Month, which starts in June.
The announcement is certainly concerning, given the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, which has already raised speculation about potential terrorist activity in the United States and other Western nations.
However, the warning also highlights the irony of LGBTQ politicians and leftist politicians, many of whom have run interference for Hamas, the terrorist group that launched a bloody surprise attack on Israel in October, igniting the war. The group is not only known for oppressing Palestinian residents living in Gaza; they are particularly brutal to those who are LGBTQ.
The announcement notes that foreign terrorist organizations (FTO) “efforts to commit or inspire violence against holiday celebrations, including Pride celebration or LGBTQIA+-related venues, are compounded by the current heightened threat environment in the United States and other western countries.” The report indicated that the organizations and their supporters “have previously promoted anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric and targeted LGBTQIA+ related events or venues for attacks.”
The FBI and DHS list several examples of instances in which these groups have incited or committed violence against this demographic.
In February 2023, English language ISIS messaging featured an article focused on anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric and rallied against the growth and promotion of the LGBTQIA+ community. The same issue called for followers to conduct attacks on unidentified soft targets, although the attacks and targets were not specific to LGBTQIA+ venues.
12 June 2024 marks the eighth anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub Orlando shooting, during which the attacker killed 49 and wounded 53 people. After the Pulse shooting, pro-ISIS messaging praised this attack as one of the high-profile attacks in Western countries, and FTO supporters celebrated it.
In June 2023, three alleged ISIS sympathizers were arrested for attempting to attack a Pride parade in Vienna, Austria, using knives and a vehicle as part of the attack, per open-source reporting.
Hamas is known for brutally oppressing Palestinians who identify as LGBTQ, often forcing them to conceal this aspect of their identities. In 2016, Mahmoud Ishtiwi was executed by the terrorist group, according to documents the Israeli military found in a Gaza tunnel.
The few LGBTQ folks in Gaza who have been able to speak out on the issue describe the situation under which they are living. A man going by the name of Abdul told a news outlet that he has to carefully hide his sexuality over fears of being harmed.
"It’s hard to be gay because I don’t feel free in Gaza," he explained.
"There are many people gay in the Gaza Strip, and they are in Hamas also. If you are gay, you should be hiding. It’s so hard. I was so scared. Scared from everything you know? Scared of getting hit, of getting kidnapped. I was so afraid. I was afraid Hamas would find out I was gay."
When Abdul was 17, Hamas caught him having sex with his boyfriend, imprisoning him for three days.
"They put me in a tiny room that was two-by-two meters. They wouldn’t let me sleep or go to the bathroom inside. There was no food. They would torture me so badly," he told i24NEWS.
"Sometimes, they would tie my feet up and beat them with a stick. After that, every few years, they would arrest me and torture me in the same way."
Over the course of five years, Abdul says Hamas would kidnap him off of the streets, torture him, and then rerelease him. Finally, at 22, they let him go for the last time.
Nevertheless, it appears Hamas can’t do enough against LGBTQ individuals to make hard leftists stop using the terrorist organization’s talking points. Indeed, a drag queen in Massachusetts drew controversy by leading children in a pro-Palestinian chant during a “Queer Storytime for Palestine” event which included “dancing, celebrating Palestine culture, learning about queer heroes and doing arts and crafts.”
A group called “Queers for Palestine” have played a heavy role in the nationwide unrest fomented by the pro-Hamas lobby in America. Recently, activists affiliated with the group blocked traffic near Disney World in Orlando, Florida, clashing with angry motorists and law enforcement.
Yet, none of these people seem to catch the irony in this situation. If any of these folks lived in Gaza, they would be frightened for their lives daily. Those who were caught would be imprisoned, tortured, or even executed. This raises questions about how serious these individuals are. Perhaps it is ignorance. But it could also be something else. Indeed, the ultimate objective of all of the unrest perpetrated by members of the hard left, whether it involves Israel, the police, or other issues, is to push America closer toward the communist utopia they envision.
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