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Catholic Group Calls on Senator Rubio to Cancel Appearance at Orlando Anti-LGBT Gathering

Boston, MA. August 10, 2016. DignityUSA, the nation’s largest organizations of Catholics committed to justice and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in our Church and in society, is calling on fellow Catholic Senator Marco Rubio to cancel his appearance at an anti-gay event being held in Orlando on August 11, 2016, the two-month anniversary of the worst mass shooting in US, which occurred at Pulse nightclub, an LGBT club.

DignityUSA’s Executive Director Marianne Duddy-Burke has sent an email to the Senator’s Orlando office, which stated,in part

“I am writing as a fellow Catholic and as the Executive Director of DignityUSA, the nation's largest organization of Catholics committed to justice, equality, and full inclusion of LGBT Catholics in our Church and society. I and our members, both local and national, are very distressed by your planned attendance at what Right Wing Watch has termed "an anti-LGBT extremist summit" in Orlando on the two-month anniversary of the horrific Pulse nightclub shooting. Your participation in this event is seen as a profound insult to the victims of this shooting, their families, and to all those who were injured in or traumatized by the massacre. It looks as if you are willing to use this horrific tragedy to court the votes of those most virulently opposed to fairness and equality, while increasing the anguish of those who still struggle daily to recover from this violent event.

We pray that the Spirit of Wisdom and Compassion will lead you to cancel your appearance at this event.  Your presence would be hurtful to many.”

“We sincerely hope that Senator Rubio will rethink his appearance at this event,” Duddy-Burke said. “It would be a profound mistake for him to give credibility to its message, particularly in the wake of the tragedy that has impacted so many of his constituents.”