In the early hours of Sunday, June 12, I was out with my girlfriend and friends at a gay bar. Little did I know that the biggest mass shooting in American history was happening at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla. at that very moment.
I consider myself a part of the LGBT community, and places such as 12 Penny Saloon in Moosic, Pa., as well as Heat NEPA Nightclub and Venture Lounge in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., are gay bars where I have always felt safe being myself. I never worry about hearing derogatory comments from people just because I'm holding my girlfriend's hand. These places are sanctuaries for so many members of the LGBT community. I imagine the souls lost in the horrific tragedy at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando had similar feelings in regards to these places.
Words cannot begin to describe the immensity of this situation or how much tragedy and heartbreak it has caused. This is a situation we know all too well by now. It seems like every few months, or even weeks, a new tragedy occurs.
If there is one thing I literally cannot take, though, it is when I see people putting down the whole Muslim population. People say things like, "They are all terrorists," "They shouldn't be allowed in our country," or "They are evil." Such opinions are incredibly racist and judgmental, and they wrongly stereotype a particular group.
You know the Westboro Baptist Church? They are a Christian church who publicly celebrated the Orlando nightclub massacre. They are proclaiming that God sent the shooter. Now, given that they are Christians and supposedly follow the Bible, do you think all Christians should be looked down upon, criticized or deemed evil because of one group of ignorant people from the Westboro Baptist Church? I'm sure there are Americans, like myself, who are extremely angry at what the Westboro Baptist Church has said; however, I do not believe their actions and words reflect the beliefs of all Christians. This goes for Muslims, or any other group of people for that matter, as well. The actions of certain terroristic, evil and sick human beings claiming to be Muslims, should not reflect the whole Muslim population.
How does that make any sense? We are Americans! We live in the greatest country in the world. We should not be fighting evil with evil or trying to stop mass shootings with more guns. There needs to be something done to prevent these tragedies; for example, we need stricter gun laws. Why is it so easy to buy an assault weapon online? This is not ok. These weapons are designed to kill. How can you see something such as a mass shooting and say "Guns are not the problem." Instead, people say the problem is that mentally ill people, among others, are able to get their hands on these types of weapons.
How can that be possible!? This is how so many innocent people were maliciously killed at Pulse Night Club in Orlando, Fla. This needs to be stopped. I'm all for mentally stable, responsible, law abiding citizens owning guns because they wish to protect themselves or to hunt, but there is absolutely no reason to go out and buy an assault weapon. The correct screening procedures need to be put into place before another lunatic is able to buy a gun.
This tragedy has affected me on an extremely personal level. I can't help but imagine what it must have felt like to have been there. It could have been me, my other LGBT friends or my ally friends. It's horrifying to imagine. Putting aside all of our different opinions, we need to unite as Americans and stand together on this issue. It is time we embrace peace, love and acceptance. We need to realize that our skin color, age, gender, spiritual beliefs and sexual orientation do not matter: We are all human beings.
We all have a pulse.
