I’m sure that everyone has heard about the most horrific mass shooting in the United States. This event has terrified the masses into a nightmarish state; most especially the people of Orlando. It has sparked global discussions on the equality of the LGBTQ community and gun violence and control. But I am not going to write about that. I don’t want to talk about gun laws. I don’t want to talk about the respect that the LGBTQ community deserves. These cause célèbre deserve to be talked about and deserve to fought about. But not right now. Right now I want to talk about a city that is resilient. Right now I want to talk about the victims. I want to give them a moment of our time even though they deserve a million times more than a moment. I want to speak for the people who no longer have a voice and for the people who can’t find theirs. We’re not going to argue right now. Just give us a minute of peace.

This tragedy happened at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, a city home to over 200,000 diverse, strong and resilient people. So many people come here to visit or for school, and they stay. That is how great of a city it is. When I heard about what happened, the city that I have called home for the past two years turned into a nightmare in a matter of minutes. I can only imagine the devastation of Orlando natives who have thought of this city as a safe haven their whole lives. For a brief moment, we were broken. But something amazing started to happen. News reports went national and Orlando was receiving support from every corner of the globe. It was a rallying call and Orlando got the message. We picked our heads up and snapped back like a rubber band. Hundreds of people lined up in the heat and waited for over five hours to give their own blood to people they probably didn’t even know. People reached into their own pockets and donated millions of dollars to the victims and their families. Orlando proved to ourselves and the world that we cannot give up hope, and no matter how hard someone tries to push us down, we will stand right back up. Of course we are still broken and the wounds won’t heal for a long time, but our hope in humanity is not lost. The good people of this world will rise up, and we will take care of each other.

By the time you read this, innocent people will have been dead for a little over a week. They were senselessly murdered only a week ago. We are still in mourning. Excuse us if we don’t want to be bothered with your headstrong opinions on guns. Forty-nine beautiful people were taken away from us too soon and for nothing more than being themselves. What happened that night was not only a crime against a certain group of people, but a crime against humanity. How can someone stand there and murder innocent people because of a lifestyle that they don’t “agree with” and call that justice. I think I speak for everyone when I say I wish we could go back in time and stop this from happening. These people were our friends, brothers, sisters, moms and dads. They deserve a lifetime. They deserve the life that they were meant to live before they were so cruelly interrupted. But I believe—and I want you to believe— that they can hear us when the whole world is screaming that we support them and we love them.

I have heard that there are people who identify themselves as part of the LGBTQ community but are scared to be who they are anymore. I hope that they see the whole world is supporting them and that they stop being afraid. And I hope that the beautiful souls that are no longer with us have found peace. After all, love conquers all. The people of Orlando and of the world have seen loss, tragedy, and senselessness, but we can now look evil in the eye and say, “We are not afraid.” We are love. We are kindness. We are black, white, and all the colors of the rainbow. We are resilient, brave, and true. We are the city beautiful. We are the city strong.