Anger...
What do I feel?
Anger, sadness, frustration, heartbreak.
I am a student, a worker, a female, a daughter, a sister, and a friend, just to name a few. However, I am also a proud member of the LGBT community. There aren't enough words to describe my emotion behind the recent attacks on my fellow brothers and sisters in the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. These attacks have caused quite the uproar across our country, and there have been many emotions that have come out of this. While in some instances our country has come together in support of Orlando and the LGBT community, we have also had a divide in another community. There have been many instances in which people have retaliated and taken their anger out on the Islamic community because of the horrific attack that one man committed.
Why?
"Why," is the question that keeps coming to mind when I try to process the unthinkable acts that have unfolded at the Pulse night club in Orlando. Why did this happen? Why us? Why the hatred? Why the pain? I sit here at night pondering this question. I have battled all of the emotions, but the one I feel most is anger.
I am angry that this has happened to innocent people, who were out for a night of enjoyment and celebration of pride. I am angry that as a human identifying as part of this community I will be targeted for who I love on a daily basis. I am angry that humans can do this to other humans without a second thought. As people we are called to love one another, to spread kindness, to treat each other with respect despite our differences.
These recent acts have made me realize that we must come together; not just the LGBT community but the allies as well. We must come together and fight the urges to spread hatred to other cultures, because when it comes down to it, these murders occurred because of the acts of one homophobic man who carried so much hatred towards the LGBT community that he felt the need to murder these innocent people. Although this man identified of the Islamic faith, this does not by any means define the entire Islamic population as homophobic or murderers. The acts of one man do not represent an entire population of people.
So while it is okay to be angry, we need to remember where our anger lies. It is with this man who took the lives of innocent people in a night club. Our anger should not lie with an entire demographic. We need to remember this, and not show hatred, racism or discrimination because of the terrible acts that one man has shown. We as a country must rise above this and come together as one. Our differences are what make us unique individuals and we need to respect those who may not agree completely with our own beliefs. We may never completely agree with one another on every topic or situation that arises, but respect and love for others is what we must hold onto when we experience anger from horrible circumstances.
Talk show host and humanitarian Ellen DeGeneres ends every show with the quotation “Be kind to one another.” In order to have an impact on our country and to make changes, we should take this advice to heart and remember that people are people, and showing kindness is the most effective way to make a difference.
