This morning when I woke up, I scrolled through my Facebook feed as usual. I read all of the articles that caught my eye and watched a few Buzzfeed videos as usual. I then noticed that several of my friends were checking in as "safe" in Orlando, which was not part of the usual. All of these check-ins were accompanied by somber statuses about standing with the LGBTQ+ community in this time of tragedy and loss. Then, I stumbled across an article, detailing a mass shooting that took place at Pulse, a gay nightclub, in Orlando, Florida. Within 10 minutes of my morning scrolling, I found the news of the biggest terrorist attack since September 11, 2001.
On June 12, 2016, Omar Mateen of Fort Pierce, Florida carried an assault riffle and a pistol into a gay nightclub where he shot and injured or killed over 100 people. Current news sources are reporting the death toll at 50 people and the injured toll at 53 people. During the attack, Mateen made a 9-1-1 call to reference the Boston Marathon bombers and warn officials of his allegiance to ISIS. He held hostages in the club for over three hours before a SWAT team was able to break into Pulse and free them. Ultimately, Mateen was shot and killed by police.
Mateen's attack on the LGBTQ+ community and the manner in which America responds will shape history yet again. I urge everyone to remember that Mateen not only attacked one community, but wounded the entire country. Along with all of the news articles filled with facts on the events that took place at Pulse, I have seen articles urging us to spread hate towards the Islamic people and religion. Donald Trump has released statements shaming President Obama for making speeches that do not include the words "radical Islam." Fear is a powerful and driving force, and right now it is forcing us to look for someone to blame, and unfortunately several are placing blame on an entire religious group. Omar Mateen is the only one to blame for this terrible tragedy.
The phrase "hate crime" has been constant in America's news today for good reason. Mateen's actions were most certainly a hate crime. He targeted a group of people and chose to fatally wound them. He hurt those present physically, and he hurt the entire LGBTQ+ community mentally and spiritually. This attack was well planned out, but with no good reason. Mateen had no reason to attack these innocent people, and for that, we are allowed to be outraged and angry. Putting this anger towards Islamic people is not right though. In fact, doing so is another hate crime. We cannot think that Mateen reflects the entire Islamic state, or we will constantly live in a state of hate and fear.
Instead of perpetuating hate, I hope our country bands together. I hope we react by standing together and supporting the victims, the families of those lost, and the LGBTQ+ community. I hope we fly our flags at half mast in honor of those who lost their lives, and I hope we all grieve and heal as our country makes sense of the horrific event and terrible loss. I hope we realize how dangerous intolerance of those who live differently than ourselves truly is. I hope that Americans respond to Mateen's actions by spreading tolerance and understanding to all people, instead of fear, anger, and hate. Most importantly, I hope we move to a time where we do not see these types of tragedies take place anymore. My heart goes out to all impacted by the shooting at Pulse. May you find peace and healing through your grief.
