Time has always astounded me. Time is something that no money can buy. Time is unbiased. It treats us all the same: black or white, rich or poor, sick or healthy, gay or straight; time hits us all the same.
It's been almost a week. It's been almost a week since what is now known as the bloodiest mass shooting in modern American history. Maybe you found out about this massacre while listening to the car radio on the way to your summer job or maybe you were lying in bed on Facebook when you saw the posts that followed. While you were fast asleep 49 innocent individuals lost their lives and in turn, the entire nation was affected.
The shooting at Pulse Night Club in Orlando Florida shook all. It hit the United States, it hit those against gun violence, and it hit the world. However, above all else the first group that this crime was committed against was the LGBT Community. The first thing I'd like to say is I am so sorry and I stand with you. You should be able to kiss whoever you want to, to love whoever you want to and to be whoever you want to without needing someone else's permission who just isn't you. If it bothers them that's their problem not yours.
It's been almost a year. It's been almost a year since love was love. When same-sex marriage was legalized in the United States my Facebook feed experienced one of the greatest outpourings of love it had ever seen. Members of the LGBT community stood together proud and their allies stood up with them. It was a time of change and celebration.
Today we stand a year later going beyond love is love. Today love is love is love. In the midst of tragedy and violence, there has been a huge response of acceptance, pride, solidarity, and above all else: love.
The second thing I would like to say is a word of thanks to all. It is one thing to handle a celebratory situation like the legalization of same-sex marriage with a kind heart but it is a lot more difficult to face such hatred and violence (like the Orlando shooting) with tenderness and warmth. Vigils have been held across the globe to show honor to those who lost their lives, an astounding amount of people are voicing their discontent with the current laws in gun control, and surprisingly there has been a huge shift in racial acceptance as well. I see at least five videos a day declaring that we cannot label one whole race or religion as evil. Prior to last week I believed such videos could even exist considering past historic events and crimes. It is easy to respond to hate with more hate. But today, stereotypes are being broken down and people are coming together to respond with love.
The third and last thing I am going to say is this: time has always astounded me. The day after a horrific event we stand together and then a month later we are back to our everyday lives. Don't let that happen. Don't stop speaking up. Don't stop standing out. Keep kissing. Keep loving. Keep voicing your discontent. Don't forget last year. Don't forget last week. And don't forget today. If we do this we can beat time. Together we can change the status quo and redefine humanity.
Go beyond love is love.
