New York State Attorney General Letitia James and other elected leaders say they are taking a stand against a string of hate-based incidents in the Town of Carmel.

Louis Mooney owns the Hangout Cafe in Carmel. He says some of their customers have stopped coming to the restaurant after they hosted a drag show.

He says he and his family have been the victims of continued harassment and increasing homophobic backlash.

Mooney says his family has experience a lot of harassment, that sometimes they call his relatives discriminatory names.

Mooney is among other residents who have shared their experiences of the racism and discrimination.

James pledged her support with the promise that hatred and bigotry will not be tolerated anywhere in New York.

Earlier this year, the Carmel School District was forced to deal with a series of racist videos and posts that a number of students made on TikTok that targeted students of color.

State Sen. Pete Harckham said hatred is unacceptable in the community, adding that "it can't be normalized."

Others who say they have endured their own incidents of bias and hate vow to continue to fight.