Herman@s de MALCS, our familia,
On behalf of the officers and leadership of Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social (MALCS), we write this message in solidarity with our community after the tragic events over the weekend that took place in Orlando, Florida. This act of terrorism and pure hate at a LGBTQ+ night club celebrating a Latin@ music night, targeted our community, especially our queer raza and their supporters, allies, relatives, friends, in all, nuestra familia.
We loudly and publicly denounce terrorism, homophobia, islamophobia and all hate crimes – especially those targeting individuals because of their sexualities and gender identities. As you are all aware, MALCS affirms the rights of individuals to assert their identities without fear of intolerance, discrimination, or prejudice. MALCS membership is open to self-identified Chican@, Latin@, Afro-Latin@, Native American and Indigenous members who identify as mujeres and/or gender-non-conforming people. As members and supporters of the affected community, we are deeply saddened by this incident and stand in solidarity with those who lost their lives, those who were injured, and all their loved ones.
We encourage you to proudly proclaim your solidarity with the victims and continue working to stop hate, promote peace, and achieve equity and equality. We have made significant gains in the last years, especially in relation to the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals. However, this incident proves, along with recent legislation that negates the rights of transgender peoples to access facilities that match their gender identity, our work is not done.
In solidarity siempre,
Nohemy Solórzano-Thompson
MALCS Chair