And, then there’s the recent statement by the New Gloucester Republican Committee which is troubling in its lack of content. It condemns an act of violence against a group without actually mentioning the group by name. It puts more emphasis on the violence of property damage than the violence of a hate crime against an entire population of people.

If they are going to condemn this act, then they should also condemn the heinous comments made by Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee members comparing trans people to people who think they are animals. They should condemn their party’s platform that explicitly targets LGBTQ people and bans gender-affirming language, books, health care and education.

It is the violence promoted by many people in power and hateful language, policies and actions that fuel the vandalism they are “condemning.” Our LGBTQ youth are some of our most vulnerable — LGBTQ youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers, and nearly half have considered attempting in the past year.

Their very existence is being attacked regionally and nationally through discriminatory policies, hate crimes, hateful rhetoric and egregious misinformation. A “Don’t say gay” law was passed in Florida; gender-affirming care is being banned across the country; transgender kids are being banned from sports; books featuring LGBTQ characters are banned from schools; LGBTQ people are nine times more likely to be targeted by hate crimes, and the rate is even higher in Maine — the list goes on and on.

All of these policies and actions contribute to an overall atmosphere of violence and exclusion for our LGBTQ community.

If our town and community are committed to condemning this act of vandalism, then we must support education that recognizes and celebrates all genders and sexual orientations, support mental health and social-emotional learning in schools, support bills that fund gender-affirming health care, support policies that use gender-neutral language, and support federal laws that forever ensures a right to marry who you love.

Empty and hypocritical statements are offensive and hurtful if they are not coupled with action to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for all, especially our most marginalized. These are our friends, neighbors, kids, teachers and business owners we are talking about.

I would be shocked if every resident in town didn’t know someone in the LGBTQ community; it is their safety and well-being that is at stake.