I am not the first to tell you about what happened on June 12, 2016. A 29-year-old man opened fire on a crowd of innocent people at Pulse nightclub, a popular gay club in Orlando, FL. At 2:09 a.m., the club posted on Facebook saying, “Everyone get out of Pulse and keep running.”

Orlando police confirmed the shooter dead around 5:53 a.m. With 49 people dead (50 if you include the shooter) and 53 wounded. The survivors, victims’ families and communities within America are looking for support to rebuild and mourn this heartbreak. This shooting is now declared the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. As news quickly spread about the shooting, people are now coming together to help Orlando during this time of need. Immediately hundreds of people began lining up outside the hospital to donate blood to the victims of the Orlando shooting. It is now time for us to take a stand and show support for those who are being affected by this tragedy. America needs to stand together and treat the LGBT community with equality.

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Growing up I always dreamt of love. When I was younger I would play with my Barbie dolls and plan out my future wedding. I constantly watched romance films like "The Lady and the Tramp" and "The Notebook." To me, falling in love means finding someone who will support me and provide for me throughout my life. Growing up my mother never told me I had to love a man. I am not gay or bisexual, but I will never say that the love of a gay couple is any different than my love for my boyfriend. If I had fallen for a woman rather than a man then my ability to love would be no different than the love between a straight husband and wife. I recently read a quote on Facebook that said, “no one should ever have to live in a world where they are afraid to walk down the street, holding the hand of the person they love.” Can you imagine walking with the person who has your heart and feeling scared or nervous to express your feelings? I do not know this feeling, nor may I ever. On the other hand, the LGBT community does.

It was no coincidence that this shooting was at a gay nightclub. The LGBT community has been targeted for centuries now but this has gone too far. I personally do not mind a gay couple sitting near me in a restaurant or going to the same Psychology class as me. It pains me to see some of the things that people who support the shooter are saying. These people need a reality check.

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The victims were innocent people. The victims were someone’s child, parent, husband, wife, grandkid, best friend, boyfriend, girlfriend, aunt, uncle and cousin. They had jobs. They were enrolled in school. They had plans. They had entire lives ahead of themselves that was cut short.

Tell me why those people who had plans for the future and lived their lives very similarly to everyone else deserved this horrific thing to happen to them? They didn’t. They chose to live a life of happiness and love who they wanted. Not everyone is capable of love and not everyone lets love into his or her lives, but these victims did. They chose to be happy. They chose to love. They chose to dismiss all the hatred around them and open up their lives to love unconditionally.

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The LGBT community has experienced pain and loss that the rest of us may never feel. Despite experiencing a mass shooting, they continue to stand strong. I aspire to have their courage and their ability to love so much. There should be no division based on whom we love. People need to accept each other’s differences and live in peace so that we can prevent more tragedies and not force someone to say goodbye to a loved one too soon.