66-Year-Old Mother of Nine Murdered for Displaying Rainbow Flag Outside Her Store

A 66-year-old shop owner, Laura Ann Carleton, known to the community as Lauri, was killed Friday outside her store in Cedar Glen, California, called Mag.Pi, because she was displaying a Pride flag outside the store. According to the BBC, Carleton was found with a bullet wound, and the suspect was killed by police near the scene of the crime. The BBC reports that the unnamed suspect made “disparaging remarks” about the flag before shooting Carleton.

According to Carleton’s bio on the Mag.Pi website, the store owner was “the mother of a blended family of nine children, the youngest being identical twin girls.” A local queer group called Lake Arrowhead LGBTQ posted a tribute to Carleton on Instagram, specifying that, while Carleton did not identify as a member of the LGBTQ community, she “spent her time helping & advocating for everyone in the community.” The post also described her as having been “murdered defending her lgbtq+ Pride flags in front of her store.”

Carleton was apparently also a good friend of movie producer and director Paul Feig, most well-known for as the creative mind behind shows like Freaks and Geeks and as the director of movies like Bridesmaids. Feig also posted a tribute to Carleton on Instagram, accompanied by a photo of himself with his late friend.

“We are all devastated for her husband Bort and her family and the LGBTQ+ community, for whom Lauri was such a true ally,” writes Feig. “Her alleged murderer was later shot and killed by the San Bernardino police and so no longer poses a threat to the community. But this intolerance has to end. Anyone using hateful language against the LGBTQ+ community has to realize their words matter, that their words can inspire violence against innocent loving people. Let’s all keep moving forward with tolerance and love. Let’s not let Lauri’s tragic death be in vain.”

There’s an old quote that’s frequently used in the LGBTQ community that says that if you claim to be our ally and aren’t standing close enough to be hit by the same stones that are being thrown at us, you have to stand closer. Nobody can claim that Lauri Carleton wasn’t standing close enough. But it’s completely unacceptable that standing up for the queer community has to be lethal for both queer people and allies alike. However, as long as right-wing propaganda paints the LGBTQ community as child groomers, depressing stories like this are likely to continue to happen.

Photo courtesy of social media