What We Need To Remember About The Orlando Attack
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

What We Need To Remember About The Orlando Attack

During a difficult time we must remember to spread love and awareness, not hate.

5
What We Need To Remember About The Orlando Attack
NBC

“This was an act of terror and an act of hate,” President Obama stated during the afternoon of June 12th, in a press conference regarding what has quickly been dubbed ‘the Orlando attack’. This heinous attack, which took place around 2a.m. on June 12th, 2016, occurred at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, and has been designated a hate crime.

This attack is definitely not the first of it’s kind and has been added to a list of disgusting and despicable acts of hate against members of the LGBTAQ+ community. Something this brutal, however, has not been committed against those who consider themselves to be members of this community in more modern history.

Not only does this incident highlight the injustices committed against the LGBTAQ+ community, but also the need for stricter gun laws in our nation — an issue that has been highly debated among members of Congress in the last few decades.

Posts regarding this attack have taken over social media — a swarm of support for and against gun laws, and a plethora of pleas to members of our nation’s government to help protect our citizens from attacks like these.

Unfortunately, some have taken to social media to voice their concerns over members of the Islamic faith — a religion which has been consistently associated with terrorism and violence. But I want to highlight something that is extremely important: while this attack definitely does not reflect well on members of the Islamic faith, this attack does not directly correlate with every believer of Islam.

While this act was one of hate, we can not spread the hate more to members of a certain religion because of the fact that this terrorist was one of the same religion. It is not only wrong but morally incorrect to associate members of the faith with violence and hate. By spreading more hate ourselves, the problems will only get worse.

When it comes down to it, it’s extremely important to remember that members of the LGBTAQ+ community and members of the Islamic community are not threats to our society. By spreading hate against those who associate themselves with these two groups is not only singling out a specific group in society, which last time I checked was discrimination, but it is also giving people the notion that it is okay to commit attacks against these two groups.

Instead of using your voice to spread hate, use your voice during this time (and into the future) to spread awareness and love for these people who are American citizens just like you.

Just remember: love is love and belief is belief. You cannot single someone out and persecute them for who they love or what they believe in. It’s morally wrong and completely unfair.

The Orlando attack is the deadliest mass shooting in the modern history of the United States, with 50 dead and 53 injured.

For more information on the victims of the attack you can go to: http://www.cityoforlando.net/blog/victims/

For more information on the current state of the attack you can go to: http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/12/us/orlando-shooting-what-we-know/index.html

For more information on how to make a donation, a page has been set up by Equality Florida, please go to: https://www.gofundme.com/pulsevictimsfund.

Update: As of the morning of June 13th, 2016, the GoFundMe page set up by the Florida LGBT group ‘Equality Florida’ for the victims of the Orlando Attack has raised $1,429,727 of it’s $2.0M goal. This money has been raised by 36,392 people in just 23 hours.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Content Inspiration

Top Response Articles of This Week

Kick off spring with these top reads from our creators!

579
Hand writing in a notepad
Pexels

Welcome to a new week at Odyssey! The warmer weather has our creators feeling inspired, and they're here with some inspiration to get your Monday going. Here are the top three articles of last week:

Keep Reading... Show less
Featured

No Sex And Upstate New York

A modern-day reincarnation of Carrie Bradshaw's classic column

3532
Pinterest

Around the age of 12, when I was deciding whether or not to be gay, Satan appeared on my left shoulder. “Ramsssey,” he said with that telltale lisp. “Come over to our side. We have crazy partiessss.” He made a strong case, bouncing up and down on my shoulder with six-pack abs and form-fitting Calvin Kleins. An angel popped up on the other shoulder and was going to warn me about something, but Satan interrupted- “Shut up, you crusty-ass bitch!’ The angel was pretty crusty. She disappeared, and from that moment forward I was gay.

Keep Reading... Show less
Featured

To The Classes That Follow

I want you to want to make the most of the years that are prior to Senior year

4513
To The Classes That Follow
Senior Year Is Here And I Am So Not Ready For It

I was you not that long ago. I was once an eager freshman, a searching sophomore, and a know-it-all junior. Now? Now I am a risk taker. Not the type that gets you in trouble with your parents, but the type that changes your future. Senior year is exciting. A lot of awesome things come along with being the top-dog of the school, but you, right now, are building the foundation for the next 4 years that you will spend in high school. I know you've heard it all. "Get involved", "You'll regret not going to prom", "You're going to miss this". As redundant as these seem, they're true. Although I am just at the beginning of my senior year, I am realizing how many lasts I am encountering.

Keep Reading... Show less
Featured

The Power Of Prayer Saved My Best Friend's Life

At the end of the day, there is something out there bigger than all of us, and to me, that is the power of prayer.

4590
Julie Derrer

Imagine this:

Keep Reading... Show less
Featured

Why Driving Drives Me Crazy

the highways are home

3572

With Halloween quickly approaching, I have been talking to coworkers about what scares us. There are always the obvious things like clowns, spiders, heights, etc. But me? There are a number things I don't like: trusting strangers, being yelled at, being in life or death situations, parallel parking. All of these are included when you get behind the wheel of a car.

Keep Reading... Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments