It's been a little over a week since everyone saw the headlines regarding the Orlando shooting at Pulse, and even though it's starting to fade from the minds of everyone who was not directly affected, queer folk are still holding themselves a little bit tighter at night and worrying a little bit more.
I'm lucky in that even though I'm a queer girl, I'm dating a boy. When I hold my boyfriend's hand in public, no one looks at us as though we're out of the ordinary or like we're rebelling against the norm, but the point is that for the thousands of us that aren't in my situation, the actions of this past week are not so easily forgotten. We'll stop hearing about it on the news as gun reform laws pass or fail, media outlets will stop receiving ratings for reporting on the vigils, and life will mostly go back to normal.
For the past five years or so, as America has tried to normalize queerness, the people of the LGBTQA+ community have been breathing sighs of relief as they no longer had to hold themselves in any longer. We've legalized gay marriage and still celebrate Pride with parades full of happiness and openness, and even though life isn't easy, we didn't have to hold our breath as we came out to friends and family, sometimes time and time again.
But all of that has changed as we mourn the loss of 49 members of our community and its allies. Things are not getting easier for us. People are taking this opportunity to say that they either agree with the killer, or that they are offering us their prayers even though they disagree with our lifestyles. And frankly, these messages are coming from people in our hometowns, our Facebook friends, and even people whom we had come out to and thought were allies to our existence. The thing these people don't realize is this is just who we are—it has nothing to do with a political agenda, but we are forced into politicizing our lives because there are people who exist who would rather kill us than let us live freely.
So, if you identify as a completely cis person, I would recommend taking this time to think about the human lives that were lost last week, and to also check that you treat every human life you come across with the kindness that they deserve. No one will kill you for being normal, and in today's society, that seems to be a privilege in and of itself.
If you haven't already, reach out to the queer friends you have or know, and let them know you care or ask if they're doing okay. They may not be showing any signs of turmoil, but this tragedy affects all of the LGTBQA+ community. And if you haven't called yourself an ally before now, maybe now is a good time to start.
