The largest mass shooting in American history took place last Saturday at the Orlando nightclub, Pulse. Pulse is an LGBTAQ+ bar that was hosting a Latin night during this month, Pride Month when the shooter (who I will not name in this article because a coward like him does not deserve any kind of recognition) came into the bar with a gun and opened fire. So far, 50 people are dead and over 50 are injured.
As things like this often are, the media, especially mainstream media, have already to begun to shy away from what this really was. You will hear newscasters say "we don't know why he did this" when in fact we really do.
This was a hate crime against the LGBTAQ+ community. He went into a well known, open safe space for the community, a bar that was at capacity full of people just being themselves.
This was a terrorist attack. He wanted people to be in fear and to cause panic. There is no other reason to commit the act he did.
This was a massacre. He lined up these people and slaughtered them. He held them hostage in the bathroom.
Do not let the media erase from our memories what this truly was at its core. It was hatred. Hatred for a group of people that had done nothing to him other than love who they want to love. The people that died that night were only celebrating themselves and their friends during this pride month.
While this was fueled by hate we must remain above all of that.We must remember to love each other. We have to love the LGBTAQ+ community and all of its members including those that are closeted and remind them that they are valued. Remind them that they deserve to love and be free to be themselves as much as the next person.
We must also remember to love our Muslim brothers and sisters, especially those also belonging to the LGBTAQ+ community. While this gunman will be labeled as Islamic what he believed in and what he did in the name of his "religion" is not the true teachings of Islam. We must remember to love them too and to speak out against those that may use this attack to reinforce anti- Muslim rhetoric, especially Donald Trump.
Love always wins and it always will so I remind you in this hard time, to love more and love harder.
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