No, Family Research Council president Tony Perkins didn't actually pull the trigger in Orlando. But the LGBT direct action group GetEQUAL got up in Tony Perkins' face Tuesday to say what LGBT Americans across the country have been thinking: All those anti-LGBT homophobes like Perkins who have preached hate toward gay and transgender people for decades are absolutely culpable for cultivating an environment that inspired the murderous attack in Orlando on the gay nightclub Pulse.
Don't miss the video below the fold, it's raw and pretty great. GetEQUAL activists first interrupted a press conference that was held following Donald Trump's evangelical confab Tuesday. Then activist Angela Peoples directly confronted Perkins—a perfect target since he's considered a part of the acceptable Beltway punditry. We need to change that (ABC dropped him from their lineup last weekend). Here's Peoples in the vid:
"You are responsible for hate and lies—a culture that has fueled violence against our community," says the LGBT activist. "What do you have to say for yourself, Tony Perkins? ... You are responsible—you are responsible for all of this violence. Do you see those 49 people that were murdered in Orlando. YOU created that environment, sir. ... What do you have to say for yourself, sir?...
"We don't want your prayers, Tony Perkins. We don't want your lies. We want you to stop being homophobic, we want you to stop the hate speech."
GetEQUAL co-director Angela Peoples takes on Perkins:
And this is GetEQUAL activist Heather Cronk at the press conference following Trump’s event (technically, this took place first, before Peoples went after Perkins):