These anti-LGBT politicians are sending prayers to Orlando massacre victims, whom they considered second-class citizens

On Sunday morning, a stream of politicians began tweeting messages of condolence for the victims of the massacre at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio had this to say:

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee also sent his prayers out:

So did Indiana Gov. Mike Pence:

And Texas Sen. John Cornyn:

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory also issued a statement decrying the massacre:

Governor McCrory issues statement on #Orlando nightclub shooting: https://t.co/1NGB9CIeAr

— NC Governor’s Office (@GovOfficeNC) June 12, 2016

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz retweeted a call for people to donate blood.

What do the people mentioned above have in common? They all think that the LGBT people who were the main victims of the massacre are not worthy of the same rights and protections afforded to other people in the United States.

McCrory, for instance, is the man who signed HB 2, possibly the most notorious anti-trans bill in history, into law just a few short weeks ago. Cornyn is one of the senators who has (successfully) voted to exclude LGBT people from federal anti-discrimination laws.

Mike Pence has consistently opposed LGBT rights. In 2015, he signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act—a bill which, until he was forced to revise it, would have written LGBT discrimination into Indiana law.

When Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk whose refusal to issue same-sex marriage licenses landed her in jail, was released last September, the man standing beside her was Mike Huckabee. Ted Cruz was also in the crowd. Both men appeared last year at the same event as a pastor who screamed that gay people should be killed.

As for Rubio—who also went on TV on Sunday to decry the homophobia of religious fundamentalists—well, his list of anti-LGBT positions is very, very long.

There are plenty more examples of this sort of hypocrisy floating around. If you look at this list of people who recently voted to continue LGBT discrimination in the federal government, you’ll probably find someone who sent condolences after the massacre.

Here’s a thought: if you think that queer people should be second-class citizens when they’re alive, maybe you should think twice before claiming that you’re mourning for them when they are killed.