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Contributed commentary by City Councilman Brian Zacharias on recent anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.

“Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.” These words, spoken by President Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg address, resonate deeply in our current moment. Lincoln’s reflection on a nation “conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal” was not just about the battlefields of his time – it was a challenge to every generation to protect the principle of equality against the forces that seek to undermine it.

Today, our city is again being tested. The recent surge in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric is a direct assault on the very ideals that Lincoln championed. Just as the post-Civil War era saw a concerted effort to strip African Americans of their rights through dehumanizing rhetoric, we now witness similar language being deployed against the LGBTQ community. This rhetoric, which paints LGBTQ individuals as “threats” to our community, echoes the same dangerous tactics used to justify the subjugation and marginalization of people in the past.

After the Civil War, the United States faced a crucial question: Would it embrace the equality promised by its founding documents, or would it allow prejudice to dictate the treatment of newly freed African Americans? Unfortunately, the latter prevailed in many parts of the country. Rhetoric that portrayed African Americans as inferior and unworthy of full citizenship laid the groundwork for the Black Codes and Jim Crow laws, which perpetuated systemic racism and violence for decades.

Today, we hear the same insidious patterns in the language used against LGBTQ individuals. Terms like “groomer,” “deviant” and “threat to family values” are more than just inflammatory; they are designed to strip LGBTQ people of their humanity and to justify the erosion of their rights. This rhetoric is a deliberate attempt to turn back the clock on the progress made toward equality, to relegate our LGBTQ neighbors to the margins of society, much like the rhetoric of the post-Civil War era was used to deny African Americans their rightful place in the nation.

The consequences of such rhetoric are clear. Historically, when part of our nation is dehumanized, violence and discrimination inevitably follow. The rise in anti-LGBTQ hates crimes, the introduction of laws targeting transgender individuals, and efforts to ban LGBTQ-inclusive education are all part of a dangerous pattern that mirrors the injustices of the past. If we allow this rhetoric to go unchallenged, we risk repeating the darkest chapters of our history.

As we reflect on Lincoln’s words at Gettysburg, we must ask ourselves whether we are truly committed to the principle that all people are created equal. Our sense of community depends on our answer. We cannot allow the forces of hate and division to dictate who is worthy of rights and dignity. We must reject this language of fear and stand in solidarity with our LGBTQ neighbors, recognizing that their fight for equality is a fight for the soul of our nation.

Rhetoric has the power to either uplift or oppress. It is up to us to ensure that it is used to protect and extend the rights of all, rather than to deny them. It is time for our community to answer Lincoln’s challenge in a modern setting: Will we remain dedicated to equality, or will we allow inflammatory, dehumanizing rhetoric to splinter our community? The choice should be clear.

Brian Zacharias