Loving mother murdered by man who hated her Pride flag

Laura Ann Carleton, a 66-year-old LGBTQ+ ally and mother of nine, was shot dead last Friday by a 27-year-old man who complained about the Pride flag hanging in front of her Cedar Glen, California business. Police pursued and killed the man shortly after he murdered Carleton.

Carleton, owner of the Mag.Pi clothing store, was memorialized in social media posts by actress Bridget Everett, film director Paul Feig, and others. Feig, who was friends with Carleton, wrote, “If people don’t think anti-gay & trans rhetoric isn’t dangerous, think again.”

Related:

Fox News says LGBTQ+ Pride flag shows support for “grooming & pedophilia”

“Right wing media has decided to put our lives in danger. Sickening.”

The unnamed male with a handgun “made several disparaging remarks about a rainbow flag… outside [her] store before shooting Carleton,” the San Bernardino police department wrote. Feig said the man ripped the flag down, and when Carleton confronted him about it, he shot her multiple times, killing her. “When deputies attempted to contact the suspect, a lethal force encounter occurred” in which police and the man exchanged gunfire, killing the man.

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Carleton is survived by her husband of 28 years and their nine children. She was memorialized in an Instagram post by the Mountain Provisions Cooperative, an organization that provides locally-grown food.

The Mountain Provisions Cooperative noted that she provided food and supplies to help locals for four months after a recent blizzard.

“Lauri was a pillar in our community, an immovable force in her values for equality, love, and justice. If you knew Lauri you know she loved hard, laughed often, and nurtured and protected those she cared about. She was a force, she loved to crack jokes and wanted to live as joyful of a life as possible. We will continue to stand for the values she so selflessly stood for.”

“Pay an act of kindness forward in her honor. Our community needs as much as love as we can get right now,” the cooperative added. “Fly your flags in honor of Lauri (rainbow flag emoji) Love will prevail.”

Mourners placed bouquets, candles, and small tokens of love at the entrance of Carleton’s store. In front, the words, “We Love You Lauri” were written on the asphalt in colored chalk.

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A post shared by Mountain Provisions Cooperative (@mountainprovisionscooperative)

In an Instagram post, actress Bridget Everett wrote, “In the past, when someone took down her flag or vandalized it, she’d put up another one. The last time I saw Lauri was, oddly enough, at Lake Arrowhead pride both in the parade and then at a party.”

In his own Instagram post, Paul Feig — the director of Bridesmaids, Ghostbusters (2016), and other films — wrote, “We are all devastated for her husband Bort and her family and the LGBTQ+ community, for whom Lauri was such a true ally…. 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.”

On Twitter, he wrote, “Lauri Carleton was my friend. She was a wonderful person who did so much for the LGBTQ+ community as well as the community at large. What happened to her is an absolute tragedy. If people don’t think anti-gay & trans rhetoric isn’t dangerous, think again.”

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A post shared by Paul Feig (@paulfeig)

One Twitter referred to Carleton’s murder as an instance of “stochastic terrorism,” the use of mass communication to incite lone wolves to carry out unpredictable violent acts.

Right-wingers have increasingly claimed that LGBTQ+ people and allies want to “sexualize” children for rape and “genital mutilation.” For example, in June, Fox News wrote that the LGBTQ+ Pride flag shows support for pedophilia. Such claims have led to death threats against educators, librarians, politicians, gender-affirming healthcare providers, journalists, and others.