The Orlando shooting has been plastered all over the news, most of it stating opinions on gun control, gay rights, Muslims, and political views in general. Everyone is angry, hurt, and now driven to solve all issues that may have led up to this horrific event, especially issues involving gay rights. People are outraged that this shooter, Omar Mateen, was against gay marriage. However, I don’t think our anger should be fueled from his beliefs, but his actions.

It was tragic, horrible, disgusting, and wrong in every possible way. There is not a single explanation that justifies his actions. Everything he did was wrong, yes, but I believe a lot of people are approaching his actions in the wrong way.

I understand that the entire shooting was based off of Mateen’s beliefs about gay rights and that those were his motives. However, we are all allowed to believe in whatever we choose to believe in. America is a free country, right? So, technically Mateen is personally allowed to disagree with gay rights.

I am a supporter of gay rights myself, but I don’t agree with the media for being angry with Mateen solely for his beliefs. Expressing it this way shows that they think we should all ban together and hate on those who may not support gay rights. What’s wrong about what Mateen did was the fact that he killed people. Too many lives were taken, and people are choosing to be angry that he’s against gay people? I think we need to be angry that he took the lives of at least 50 people, not starting more campaigns in support of gay rights when it's already legal.

I may get a lot of backlash for expressing these thoughts. There are so many out there right now fighting for gay rights solely because of this shooting. But our world is politically divided. Even if gay marriage is legal, there are still going to be people out there that personally disagree with it and that is OK. Mateen can personally disagree with gay rights, but he shouldn’t shoot people because of that.

I still support gay rights. But I also support our freedom to believe in what we want to believe in. That being said, I think Mateen’s actions were wrong in all possible ways. His beliefs were not though. He has every right to believe what he wants to believe in. That doesn’t give him the right to act on those beliefs, no, but this shows that some are angry at Mateen for the wrong reasons.

For writing this, I’m sure many will think I’m secretly a homophobe or maybe that I think what Mateen did was acceptable, but the truth is I simply think his freedom to believe what he wants is acceptable. We live in America, a strong, diverse and free country. I’m sure we’re all thinking of the family and friends that lost someone. Let our thoughts be toward them and their loss at this time, not about his personal beliefs.