By now, almost everyone knows about what happened in Orlando on June 12, 2016. There was a shooting at Pulse Nightclub, a local gay club, where 49 people were killed, making it the most deadly shooting in modern American history. Afterwards, millions of people poured out support for Orlando, the victims, and the victims' families. A phrase that I frequently saw was "thoughts and prayers to the victims". While this kind of gesture is welcomed, sometimes it is not enough.
It is not enough when you say that "thoughts are with the LGBTQ+ community during this time" and then continue to support politicians who actively discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community. It is not enough when you pretend to care about how this affects the community and then turn around and say nothing while state governments pass laws that discriminate against the trans community. While I know that victims' families appreciate your caring, it is not enough.
Being heavily involved in the LGBTQ+ community has opened my eyes to a lot. I cannot personally understand the fear that they have when out in public, afraid that someone will attack them because they are holding hands with their partner. I cannot understand their fear that a business won't serve them or hire them because of their sexual or gender identity. This community is incredibly strong, even in the face of discrimination and tragedy and what they really want out of the rest of the country is one thing: change.
We need to change many government policies, from gun control to discriminatory laws. While it is terrible that this event had to happen to start this change, it is a good thing that this change is going to happen. We cannot allow something like this to happen again, regardless of if it is against the LGBTQ+ community. However, the LGBTQ+ community is going to be the loudest voice in acquiring this change. In this community, if you hurt one of us, you hurt all of us. We will not be silent when there is injustice.
So to everyone reading this, regardless of your identity, I urge you to take action. Write to or call your representative and let them know that you support the motion in the Senate to restrict those on the FBI watch list from buying guns and increasing background checks at gun shows. Also, show your support to the LGBTQ+ community by fighting against any proposed or current laws that discriminate against LGBTQ+ individuals in the workplace or at businesses. Your thoughts and prayers can always be with us, but unless you actually take action, nothing will change. We need to try to make this world a better place and we can only do that if you help us.
