George Takei has called on the LGBT community to lead the fight for gun reform in the US after the Orlando nightclub shooting, at a time when “the face of America’s tragedy is gay”.
The former Star Trek actor, who is openly gay, has campaigned for a number of LGBT issues throughout his career. On Wednesday, he urged LGBT people to work to engender real change in a powerful essay for The Daily Beast.
He said the mass shooting, the worst in modern US history, was undoubtedly a direct attack on gay people and highlighted how the Isis terror group proliferates homophobic hatred.
Takei warned now is the time to challenge policy built upon the Second Amendment that allows would-be terrorists to walk the streets in the US while armed.
“Would-be terrorists cannot so much as board a plane without a thorough screening, yet we give them nearly unfettered access to very dangerous weapons," he wrote. "Arguments that we will never stop all shootings by restricting access to such weapons fails to account for our strong and common desire at least to stop many of them—or any of them.
“Like it or not, this history and this obligation have been thrust upon us, and we must now rise to its challenge. For if there is one group in this country with more will, more experience, and more tenacity than the NRA, it is the LGBT community.
“You don’t want to mess with us.”
