LGBT AND AIDS ACTIVISTS STAGE DIE-IN OUTSIDE TRUMP TOWER: ACTIVISTS CHANT “STOP THE KILLING” WHILE TRUMP MEETS WITH ANTI-LGBT EVANGELICAL LEADERS

Photo credits: ACTUP_Trump_01 thru _04 by Peter Farhni

AU_Trump_05 thru _07 by Marcelo Maia



New York, NY – Over 100 LGBT and AIDS activists turned up outside Trump Tower last night to protest Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump meeting with 400 Evangelical religious leaders in New York City.



The protest was organized by activist group ACT UP NY (AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power) to combat Trump’s use of the recent massacre at an Orlando gay bar to push Islamaphobia while meeting with right-wing, anti-LGBT religious groups to appeal to conservative voters.



Activists yelled chants like “Donald Trump, Toxic Dump” and “Stop the Hate, Stop the Killing.” Between the chants, multiple community members spoke about the effects of violence and hate speech on the LGBT community.



“It’s awful that Donald Trump is using the Orlando massacre to push his agenda of xenophobia and bigotry when in this case, the hatred came from an American who grew up amid the hateful religious rhetoric spread by Evangelical leaders and right-wing politicians,” said ACT UP NY member Brandon Cuicchi.



Toward the end of the protest, activists staged a die-in on the sidewalk in front of Trump Tower to symbolize those LGBT people and allies lost to gun violence in Orlando. The act recalled the early days of the AIDS crisis, when ACT UP NY regularly staged die-ins to symbolize deaths from AIDS.

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“We’re tired of the bigotry and hatred and murder,” said Andrew Velez, a member of ACT UP NY, the AIDS activist group, during the June 21 protest. “After the massacre in Orlando, he said ‘Well, if there had been more guns that might not have happened.’ He’s a fool who needs to be put out to pasture.” ‪#‎StopKillingUs‬ ‪#‎WeAreOrlando‬ ‪#‎NotInOurNames‬ ‪#‎DumpTrump‬ Voices Of Community Activists & Leaders (VOCAL-NY)



About ACT UP NY

Founded in 1987, ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power), is a diverse, non-partisan group of individuals united in anger and committed to direct action to end the AIDS crisis. ACT UP meets every Monday night in New York City at the LGBT Community Center, 208 West 13th Street off 7th Ave.

http://www.actupny.org/ Follow us @actupny

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Video: https://youtu.be/C0k50J1aehI?t=55s

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Minister Erik R. McGregor album: ActUpNY and LGBTQ groups stand up to Donald Trump — with ACT UP New York and 4 others at Trump Tower New York.
ACT UP NY along with leaders from Muslim, Latinx and LGBTQ organizations will rally in front of Trump tower in New York City against the presumptive Republican presidential nominee's use of the recent massacre at a gay bar in Orlando to polarize Americans.

Activists city wide have been converging on the Trump Tower to call out Trump's problematic run, demonizing opponents and privatizing public space. A week prior, activists with public space party were kicked out of the Privately Owned Public Space, while reminding the world this is public space for the people.



Photos by Minister Erik R. McGregor

THey plan to return tonight as part of a solidarity ride for Orlando.

IN SOLIDARITY WITH ORLANDO LGBTQ*, black, brown, latino, latinx lovers, brothers, sisters and mothers, spouses and partners and friends, daughters and sons, cis-gender allies, transgender, gender non-conforming, latinx, black, brown, gays and straights and queers JOIN PUBLIC SPACE PARTY and lets take back our spaces our bodies, our sex, our gender lets dance, bike, move, gyrate, dance and move to the PULSE

In Solidarity with the Dancers and Lovers of Pulse whose lives were shot down Sunday in a safe space zone come move with the Public Space Party where yes, we are against homophobia, racism, sexism, xenophobia, islamaphobia, transphobia but We Are for our bodies to be safe, queer love, safe spaces, gun control, latinx, black, brown, dancing, biking and moving to the grooving starting at Columbus Circle to reclaim space from one of the first colonizers/oppressors, and ending up at Chelsea Piers, maybe The Frying Pan.

We will visit Trump Towers along the way to send our message of love against his propagation of the hate machine and stop to dance in public spaces. Let's ride together.

All people welcome to join us. If you want, wear colors of the rainbow and tie a sign to your bike or your person with your own message of love.