Hate Is Not a Religion—and Assumptions Are Not Evidence
I want to be clear about something after the deadly shooting outside Venture-N, an LGBTQ+ bar in Tucson, Arizona.
Two members of our community, Vincent Anthony Siqueiros and Cameron Davis Capara, were killed. Police determined that the LGBTQ+ community was deliberately targeted, and evidence indicated that the attacker acted alone. This was a horrifying act of anti-LGBTQ+ violence.
As the news spread, however, I saw people on Facebook claim that the attacker was Muslim. They appeared to reach that conclusion without verified evidence about his religious beliefs or what role—if any—religion played in the attack.
A person’s name, ethnicity, nationality, or appearance does not establish their religion. Even knowing someone’s religion would not prove that the religion motivated their actions. We cannot fill gaps in the evidence with assumptions and then present those assumptions as facts.
Extremist ideas can develop within virtually any religious, political, or cultural community. Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and other faiths have all been distorted by individuals who use religion to justify hatred or violence. Political movements can also become extreme. But the actions of an extremist do not define every person who shares some part of that individual’s identity.
We must hold the person responsible without placing collective blame on millions of innocent people.
I strongly oppose the MAGA movement and much of what it represents. I believe its rhetoric and policies have harmed disabled people, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, and other vulnerable communities. Nevertheless, it would still be wrong for me to declare that every MAGA supporter is violent. They are not.
If I reject that kind of sweeping judgment when it is directed at one group, I must reject it consistently—even when I am angry, frightened, or grieving.
That does not mean ignoring hateful ideologies or refusing to confront dangerous beliefs. It means being precise about what the evidence demonstrates. We can condemn anti-LGBTQ+ violence without inventing a religious motive. We can challenge religious extremism without treating an entire faith as extremist. We can oppose MAGA politics without claiming that every supporter is capable of murder.
Our anger should be directed at the hatred, the violence, and the systems that allow them to flourish—not at entire populations of people.
The LGBTQ+ community deserves safety, justice, and honest reporting. Muslim Americans also deserve not to be blamed for a crime based on speculation. Defending one marginalized community should never require us to stereotype another.
We need to do better. That begins by slowing down, checking the evidence, and refusing to turn fear into prejudice.
Hate is the problem. Assumptions will not help us defeat it.