"Land of the free, home of the brave." That is stated in our National Anthem, the words we fight for but the words that others fight against us for. In my nineteen years of life I have lived through, read about and learned about acts of terrorism. When I was four years old running around a playground at pre-school being too young to understand, my country was at war. Many lives were taken due to a radical group who believed my freedom was worth less than their after-life victories. All Americans ancestors began in other countries, they came here to start a life with opportunities and freedom for all. We are all made up of different nationalities, religions and ways of life but we all live under the same flag and the same pride.

Now at 19 years old I watch the news to hear a radical individual attack a place where the LGBT and community go to have fun in a safe accepting environment which is truly heartbreaking to hear. This individual took it upon himself to take that safety away from them. I have several friends in the LGBT community which I never look at them as being a separate group from myself. They are all my peers, my friends and also live by the same laws and country pride as I do. Thats when I read news reports capitalizing on the fact that an LGBT club was attacked and not the fact that innocent “Americans” were attacked once again. I cant help but to think that those comments help to feed the prejudice which stills exists among our country. We need to live by our words ‘land of the free, home of the brave”, and become strong against only those who threaten to take that away from us.

I am extremely saddened that these individuals continue to threaten the lives of this country that I love and I hope and pray that we as a country stand strong and together. I have taken the time to interview some of my closest friends in the LGBT community to get their feelings on the terrorist attack in Orlando, as this is Gay pride month I feel their voices should be heard.

Here is Riley Haney’s response on this awful occurrence:

“Referring to Boston’s Gay Pride parade which was on Saturday, It is shameful that there needs to be that much security around events like this. In the end its all for safety but unfortunately it is taking away from the pride of it all, by always having constant fear of freak accidents occurring. It’s a screwed up world we live in now a days. This has all been truly eye opening for all of us since we live in such an open world. I feel like growing up in a world in which our generation has, thats been for the most part so accepting, I never realized it would go to this extent. It’s scary to know that violence such as a shooting of innocent human beings is a possibility. I feel so fortunate to be able to express myself because of everyone around me. My thoughts are with the families of the victims."

Here are the thoughts of Jennifer Ley who has been emotionally impacted due to this detrimental time in history:

"It baffles me that in today's society, the human race continues to harm one another because of differences. To put into perspective of what pain I think about is of the investigators and how they had to tune out the nightmare sounds of the deceased phones ringing. To feel such pride and joy in the month of LGBTQ and have your safe month become not so safe because you're scared to express yourself and who you love. That is what ultimately baffles me. Just like everyone else, my thoughts are with the families of the victims."

Jason Dussault is yet another example of someone who has an emotional reaction due to this unfortunate event. He spoke passionately about this horrific event, here is what he had to say:

"Events like this are what we memorialize during pride month. Remember who you are and remember what we have been though, and grow from that. When any event takes place such as the shooting at Pulse Nightclub I feel saddened. I feel the need to give back or act,but when the target of such an attack is a community that I belong to all of my feelings are intensified. Unfortunately Mass shootings have become somewhat normalized in the United States and it is not hard to clearly see that. Some preventative measures need to be taken so we don't have to face these kinds of problems at such a high frequency. This being pride month I hope that all members of the LGBTQIA community channel their feelings following this event into something beautiful, powerful, and memorable."

As all of this was happening I was browsing through Twitter seeing all different responses and feelings about what was going on in the world we all live in now a days. One persons tweet which hit me the most was writer and comedian Greg Mania who said the following statement before a number of the victims had been found dead:

"What a world we live, a world where this is becoming, literally, a DAILY occurrence. First an innocent young woman who wanted nothing except to share her extraordinary talent with the world, and now 20 of my LGBT brother and sisters who just wanted to come together in a safe space to celebrate pride and each other-- all fallen victim to the senseless gun violence that has become the cancer of this country. And what upsets me the most is all the anger and sadness I feel and not knowing what to do with it. All my love to Orlando and the families of the victims."

I just wish the world did not turn into a scary place such as it is today. I never want to imagine what the world will be like years from now if we keep heading down the violent path we currently are. I wish humans were actually capable of loving one another no matter the differences rather than killing them over the minor differences. My heart is broken for the all the families who have already found out the horrible news their loved one is dead and for the people patiently waiting to hear still. I could never imagine the pain the families and community involved are feeling. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved in this unnecessary vicious attack on innocent people. The United States has had way too many shootings within the last year, yet we always come out strong and together as one. United we stand!