I wasn’t going to write any more blog posts in English, but I felt I couldn’t stay silent in light of the awful gun violence that took over Orlando, my hometown. I placed into a higher level than I wanted or anticipated and met my teachers today, but all that seems trivial now. It feels wrong to be obsessing over classes and scheduling when 50+ people were killed just because a deranged gunman didn’t understand that love is love. I’m conflicted because I know that the terrorists win when we succumb to fear and are unable to return to normalcy, but the fifty people whose lives were stolen from them deserve to be remembered. I’m writing here today to honor the victims of this horrible weekend.
Here’s what I shared on my facebook page:
It breaks my heart to be on the opposite side of the country when my city is in so much turmoil. On Friday, a young singer was killed by a gunman at her own concert and now this morning/last night, a madman killed over 50 members of the LGBTQ+ community and their allies at a nightclub. Let this be a reminder of the long way we have to go in guaranteeing the rights and dignity of all of us, especially our brothers and sisters in the LGBTQ+ community. A deranged homophobe targeted a marginalized community. That is pure hate. And now, a peaceful religion will once again be mis-characterized and scapegoated. Homophobia, not Islam is to blame. My own faith tells me to love everyone, those who are easy to see as neighbors and those who aren’t.
I just got out of a presentation on what to do in an active shooter situation and it hurts my heart that training like this is so necessary. A “civilized” country like ours shouldn’t have to go through this pain every day, multiple times a day. Today I’m praying for the LGBTQ+ community and the Muslim community in America. At the same time, our prayers aren’t enough. If you know me, you’ll know that I’m a huge advocate for sensible gun laws. No civilian should have access to automatic killing machines. Please, CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES. Demand that they take actions to stop these terrible, preventable tragedies that are occurring more and more frequently.
God bless Orlando, the City Beautiful, and may we come to love each other and realize that what we have in common is more important than any differences.
