Last weekend, I woke up to news that shook me to my core. Forty-nine people were gunned down as they danced the night away at a club in Orlando, Florida. Forty-nine people were killed because of who they were. Forty-nine people were seen as expendable because somebody else didn't agree with who they loved. Even now, a week later, I think about this atrocity, this hate crime (because that is what it is), and I find myself absolutely bothered. I have been asking myself nonstop, "How could this happen? How could one person be filled with so much hate that they thought it necessary to end the lives of so many people?"
I am a straight woman, so I cannot relate to the daily struggles that the LGBT+ community has endured throughout history. I can learn about their struggles as much as I want, but I will never have firsthand experience. I can only take in what I see from my LGBT+ friends and relatives. But, having witnessed their challenges with society, there is something that needs to be cleared up. Many people in this country believe that homophobia and general anti-LGBT+ sentiments have dissipated because marriage equality is now the law of the land.
That is absolutely not the case, and sadly, the atrocity in Orlando makes that fact painfully evident. It is still scary to be part of the LGBT+ community in present-day America. Same-sex couples still get harassed while walking down the street together. Many still face discrimination in the workplace because of their sexual orientation. Just because the Supreme Court ruled affirmatively on marriage equality does not mean that the LGBT+ community is no longer at risk for hate.
I consider myself an ally to the LGBT+ community, and as an ally, it is truly disheartening and nauseating to see tragedies like Orlando unfold. I am a firm believer in equal rights for every person on this planet. I also believe in treating everybody with the same respect that I would like to be treated with. While I want to say that it goes beyond my understanding as to how a tragedy like Orlando could happen, I can't truthfully say that.
Somebody like the shooter was brought up in an American society that does not value the differences of its citizens, but rather finds opposition in it. This seems contradictory to the ever-famous "great American melting pot" idea. Even in a modern and more progressive age, they symbolize the hateful and violent reality that so many members of the LGBT+ community face every day of their lives. That is a reality that must be ended, now, before a nightmare like this happens again.
If this terrifying event has taught us anything, it is that now, we must all be allies for one another. We are all different people with characteristics, backgrounds, and a myriad of other traits that make us who we are. We are not supposed to have all the same opinions or make all of the same choices. We are not intended to come from the same places or love the same people. That is what makes this country so diverse and full of life: we are all different.
However, while considering differences, we must remember that every one of is also a human being deserving of life and liberty, of freedom and the right to go out dancing for the night without fear of being murdered on the bathroom floor. Orlando tragically serves as a reminder that too many people still allow their ideals to separate us, and we must fight that. Love your brothers and sisters of the human race. Respect and value one another. After all, we are all in this together, aren't we?
