This weekend saw two more mass shootings in the U.S. – one in Dayton, OH and the other in El Paso, TX. While we have not yet learned the motivation behind the violence in Dayton, the El Paso suspect allegedly posted a xenophobic, anti-Hispanic manifesto in an online forum. This follows an all-too-familiar pattern of race-motivated violence on our communities, emboldened by toxic, anti-immigrant sentiments straight from the top of our government.

Violence against the Latinx community directly impacts our LGBTQ family – which includes immigrants, Latinx and people of color. We send our deepest condolences to the victims of Sunday’s shootings, and their loved ones in the US, in Mexico, and beyond.

The sadness we feel for our fellow Americans is compounded with the frustration that these shootings continue to hurt our communities with no reasoned legislative or policy response in sight. While it can feel hard to keep moving forward, we cannot afford to be complacent. Along with common sense gun safety reform, we must continue to call out racism and xenophobia in all its forms. The Trump presidency has fanned the flames of white supremacy – what once was quietly smoldering in our country is now loud and proud. But they are still few – and with our movements united, we are many.

Especially now, we must continue to strive towards a better and more compassionate country for all of us.