This morning I awoke to a text message from my father, "have you seen the news," that had foreshadowed something terrible woven into a 22-character message. When I opened up my Twitter and Facebook, I was mortified by the headlines I read.
"Gunman massacres 50 at Florida gay club in worst US mass shooting."
Reading the news reports and details of what happened at the club Pulse Saturday night, June 11, left me with a pit in my stomach thinking of the 50 people that died and their families.
All of my social media sites are being flooded with tweets and posts about the attack. When some act of terrorism takes place in this country or around the world, most people's first reaction is to post something either showing their sympathy or opinion about the whole situation. Because the internet is so vast, the amount of people and their opinions are bound to spark arguments and a rhetoric analysis of everything the media is putting out and the responses from political and public figures.
As horrific as the shooting was, it was interesting to observe the way people online portrayed their frustrations and what calls of action they requested. While this shooting is still under investigation, there are many different factors that have allowed for many different opinions and arguments of political issues, like the second amendment, hate crimes, Isis etc. Many political figures have taken this opportunity to push some kind of agenda or what needs to be done to prevent tragedies like this or to persuade the public to focus on one issue rather than taking everything into consideration before making assumptions.
It is sad to say, but America is familiar with mass murders, and in each case it is important to remember that you weren't there at the scene of the crime. What I mean by this statement is that you have to question everything. The investigation resumed throughout Sunday, June 12, and some new information about the shooter, Omar Mateen, has come to light. President Obama spoke at a news conference declaring, "We have reached no definitive conclusions. What is clear is that he was a person filled with hate," when referencing the fact that authorities still cannot make ties between the shooter and terrorist groups.
We the people need to continue to strive to be informed and not fall into agendas trying to turn us against a marginalized group of people. Putting all of the political tweets aside, it has been moving seeing people's support and come together to stand up against injustices and hate crimes. Despite the media targeting this as an Isis terrorist attack, we must remember that he is an American citizen born in New York and he does not represent the Muslim community as a whole. Also keep in mind that the weapons used to slaughter 50 Americans was purchased legally and Omar Mateen had a Florida license to carry a concealed weapon. We live in a society where people need to find something to put the blame on whether it be religion, race, gun laws etc. As Americans it is our job to stand behind our fellow citizens and come together and put our religions, sexual orientation, and race aside.
This massacre hit close to home for me because the LGBTQ community was targeted during gay pride month in a setting that serves as a sanctuary to this community. A nightmare turning into a reality, this tragic shooting is something all of us LGBTQ community has to be cautious about whenever we go into public and even worse whenever we publicly display our sexuality. Using the word sanctuary to describe a night club might sound misleading, but it is not. If you disagree with that statement then you probably have never been afraid to hold the hand of the person you love in public in fear of being judged, ridiculed, or harmed. This month is a month of pride and celebration for being ourselves and celebrating the victories of the LGBTQ community. We have come too far now to be pushed back into the closet out of fear and hate, the time has come to be prouder than ever before and not let hate or violence paralyze us with fear. Not living in fear is a form of activism.
This attack couldn't have come at a more convenient time to be blown up by the media and political figures trying to gain momentum in the upcoming presidential election. Let us not be blinded by the ideologies the media is trying to get us to buy into by labeling marginalized communities as clicker bait. Let us be able to drop the labels and mourn for innocent humans that had their lives stolen for celebrating being proud of who they are. Let us come together and finally make some provisions to the Second Amendment instead of waiting until the next mass shooting. Let us not lessen the fact that this was an act of hate and also not forget that these victims weren't just gays they were also sons, daughters, parents, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters, best friends etc. But let us finally not forget that they were Americans and more importantly always keep in mind that they were innocent human beings.
