Tales of Bravery and Loss: Navigating a Local LGBTQ+ Tragedy

Could you ever fathom losing a loved one simply because they were brave enough to wear their heart on their sleeve? This week, we peel back the layers of a deeply unsettling event that unfolded in the tranquil Lake Arrowhead community where Laura Ann Carleton, a heroic mother of nine, was tragically killed for flying a rainbow flag outside her clothing business. 

Join us as we navigate this emotional terrain with Laura's daughter, who takes us on a poignant journey into their personal loss, the void left by her mother's departure, and the profound message of strength and resilience left behind. We also reflect on the cultural divide between small-town locals and city-dwellers, and the dire need for empathy and understanding in this diverse world. As we end, we pay tribute to Laura's courage and her unwavering support for the LGBTQ+ community, leaving you with her inspiring message, "Rest in peace. You are beautiful and in power." Tune in for an episode teeming with tales of bravery, allyship, and the catastrophic consequences of hate.

Chapters

• 0:04 Tragic Killing Over Pride Flag
• 7:14 Support and Remembrance for LGBTQ+ Ally

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:04

Morning bitches and dolls. If no one told you they love you today, then I love you because you're you. Tell me who else you're going to be. It's a sad day today and I'm reading in the newspaper the LA Times by Noah Goldberg.

Speaker 1: 0:22

The senseless killing of a fearless advocate shot over shops, pride flag entrepreneur and mom of nine was admired in Lake Arrowhead community beyond. As a gay man, bobster appreciated that Laura and Carlton flew a rainbow flag outside her clothing business in Lake Arrowhead. But as a businessman who runs a shop in the same strip ball, a few doors down, stir worn Carlton that the flag may not be good for business in the mountain community 80 miles east of Los Angeles. I told them when you put all those flags out there that as a business person it's probably not the best idea because some flags trigger people. Laura said okay, let's read the rest. She told it to be care and bluntly said she said I don't. They don't have to shop in my store, she said. But her decision to fly the pride flag outside her shop had fatal consequences.

Speaker 1: 1:33

Authorities said Carlton was shot and killed Friday by a man who made several disparaging remarks about a rainbow flag that stood outside the door. San Bernardino County Sheriff Department official said it in news release Hi. When sheriff's deputies arrived, they found Carlton, 66, suffering from a gunshot wound. Authorities said paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene. Deputy said they found the man a few miles away and armed with a handgun after he fled on foot during a confrontation. Deputy shot and killed the suspect On Monday. Officials identified the man as Travis Aiguchi 27.

Speaker 1: 2:18

Days later, the violence of Carlton's killing and the outpouring of support from residents, friends and supporters of the LGBTQ plus community still cling to the scene of the crime. A single bullet hole punctured the glass entrance to Carlton's store Magpie and solemnly greeted the cortege of mourners, dropping off flowers and more rainbow flags. Friends gathered at nearby stores and in parking lots outside, crying and holding each other and sharing stories of Carlton, while they tried to wrap their heads around the laws of a woman who was a pillar in the community, equal parts, entrepreneur and advocate. The longtime Lake Arrowhead and Los Angeles resident ran another store also called Magpie and Studio City, and you bet your bottom dollar on going by there. Carlton had had a long, notable career in LA's fashion world, working at Fred Segal, joseph Magnum, century City and Kenneth Cole. According to the biography posted on Magpie's website.

Speaker 1: 3:25

Magpie, for Lori, is all about truck tackling everyday life with grace and ease and continuing to dream. Her biography says, adding that she and her family nourished a passion for architecture, design, fine art, food, fashion and have consequently learned to drink in and appreciate the beauty, style and brilliance of life. Carlton had lived part-time in Lake Arrowhead for decades and had integrated herself into that community. Fred said the community of about 10,000 nestled around the Alpine Lake had long been home to a mix of locals and more affluent people with grand second homes. Well, ed and me, we live in an apartment building, like me in Brooklyn living in an apartment building all my life. Friends say the region has experienced a cultural clash, especially as more city dwellers arrived during the pandemic. But Paulton was good at bridging both worlds, they said, noting that she loved speaking with people who disagreed with her and trying to change their minds. After a massive snowfall during the winter trapped residents in the San Bernardino Mountains, carlton and her husband brought merchants together to set up a free store next to her shop where those in need could get free food for four months.

Speaker 1: 4:50

Carlton's death is now reverberating far beyond the scenic Alpine town where she lived. The tragic targeted killing of Laurie over the pride flag displayed at her Lake Arrowhead store was senseless and unfortunately part of a growing number of attacks on LGBTQ people and our allies, said Sarah Kate Ellis, president of GLAAD. Glaad and the Anti-Defamation League have tracked more than 350 anti-LGBTQ plus attacks across the country this year. Ellis said Celebrities too are speaking out about Carlton's killing. I feel deeply saddened by this act of Jamie Lee acted. Jamie Lee Curtis said on Instagram. Curtis had spoken in the past about her transgender child. This is our country now and we can't look away. Rest in peace, laura and Carlton, a mother of nine. Thank you for your ally ship.

Speaker 1: 5:51

Carlton's killings follow earlier interactions with people upset by her open display of support for the LGBTQ plus community. One man who drove by in a pickup truck recently complained to Carlton, said Vicki Dolezael, who works at another shop on the commercial strip. He was just outside, saying he didn't appreciate the flag being out and she said well, to each his own. You know, it's my business and I want the flag out. Dolezae recalled Carlton's experience was so isolated.

Speaker 1: 6:22

A close friend, who asked not to be identified for fear further anti-LGBTQ plus backlash, said she had reconnected with Carlton in 28, 19, after two signs one saying love is love and the other supporting then presidential candidate Joe Biden were stolen from outside the friend's home. Carlton left an envelope filled with cash for the woman and wrote her a letter with a simple message by a big assign. She was fearless, said Ari calls, and one of Carlton's nine children, a voice breaking. My mom has long been a fierce ally of the LGBTQ community. We have plenty of members of the community in our family and our close friend group, so it was just important. It was so important to her because those are people that I was raised around and always love.

Speaker 1: 7:14

The 28 year old was at her family's home in Lake Arrowhead on Monday. She and others have been inundated with messages of support from people across the globe, she said. But her mother's loss is about more than an attack on the LGBTQ plus community and its allies. It leaves an emptiness felt by her whole family which is only beginning to come to terms with it. She said A blackboard hanging in the garage at Carlton's home in Lake Arrowhead summed up their feelings. Everything changes. Be grateful for everything. Never criticize you. Tick tock, bobby, you know, you know. You know me the cleaning outside my apartment, if you can even hear it. You tick tock. Bobby loves you all so much and you know I'm an LGBTQ plus ally, so you ever need to reach out to me, you know you can on tick tock. Tick tock, bobby, I'm here for you and rest in peace. You beautiful and in power, you beautiful, incredible woman who really cared about the LGBTQ plus community. God rest you and Laura Ann Carlton.