Anti-transgender flyers being circulated in a Dothan, Ala., neighborhood appear to have been distributed by the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan as a recruiting tool.
The Dothan Police Department notified the FBI, as the flyer’s message could promote hate crimes against the transgender community. “What you’re dealing with is potentially implications of a hate crime or promoting a hate crime, so we notified the FBI,” Dothan Police Chief Steve Parrish said.
Acording to a report in the Dothan Eagle, the flyer calls transgender people an “abomination” according to the King James Bible. The flyer also quotes Deuteronomy 22:5, “A woman shall not wear that pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment. For all that do are an abomination unto the Lord thy God.”
The flyer also suggests transgender people are jeopardizing the safety of women and children as they use restrooms across the nation.
“This crude and vile message from a notorious hate group does not represent Alabama values,” said HRC Alabama State Manager Eva Walton Kendrick. “Transgender people continue to be one of our most vulnerable and marginalized groups, and want nothing more than to live without fear and discrimination. Elected officials promoting anti-LGBT legislation need to take note of how their actions feed extremists, further compromising the safety of transgender people they were elected to serve and protect.”
Kendrick continued, “We urge all Alabamians to stand up and make clear that these messages of hatred have no place in our society. We are so much stronger when we work together to make sure that Alabama is a state that welcomes everyone.”
This year, an unprecedented 44 anti-transgender bills have been introduced in 17 states. North Carolina has the terrible distinction of becoming the first state in the country to enact a law attacking transgender students; similar proposals were rejected across the country this year, including one in Oxford, Ala., that was quickly rescinded after national outcry. Despite claims to the contrary by anti-LGBT activists who have preyed on misinformation and ignorance, extending equal protections to transgender community is not a threat to public safety. This fear-mongering puts transgender people at an increased risk of violence by fostering hate and misunderstanding.
