Most of us will remember exactly where we were on the morning of Sunday, June 13th, 2016 when we woke up to the horrendous news that overnight, some 49 members of our community had been killed in the worst massacre that in this country’s history in the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando Reeling in total shock, we all thought that this unprecedented act of violence was a warning, and that if hatred like this was allowed to fester unchallenged, this could/would threaten the very existence of queer people everywhere. In June 2016, we still had a compassionate and real President in Obama (and Vice President Biden) and he immediately told the victims’ families – on behalf of the American people — that “our hearts are broken, too, but we stand with you and that we are here for you, and that we are remembering those who you loved so deeply.” They then paid their respects by laying flowers at a memorial for victims of the attack.
In a Statement, the President went on to say
As a nation, we’ve also been inspired by the courage of those who risked their lives and cared for others. Partners whose last moments were spent shielding each other. Now, if we’re honest with ourselves, if, in fact, we want to show the best of our humanity, then we’re all going to have to work together at every level of government, across political lines, to do more to stop killers who want to terrorize us.
This debate needs to change. It’s outgrown the old political stalemates. The notion that the answer to this tragedy would be to make sure that more people in a nightclub are similarly armed to the killer defies common sense. Those who defend the easy accessibility of assault weapons should meet these families and explain why that makes sense. They should meet with the Newtown families — some of whom Joe saw yesterday — whose children would now be finishing fifth grade — on why it is that we think our liberty requires these repeated tragedies. That’s not the meaning of liberty.
I’m pleased to hear that the Senate will hold votes on preventing individuals with possible terrorist ties from buying guns, including assault weapons. I truly hope that senators rise to the moment and do the right thing. I hope that senators who voted no on background checks after Newtown have a change of heart. And then I hope the House does the right thing, and helps end the plague of violence that these weapons of war inflict on so many young lives.
I’ve said this before — we will not be able to stop every tragedy. We can’t wipe away hatred and evil from every heart in this world. But we can stop some tragedies. We can save some lives. We can reduce the impact of a terrorist attack if we’re smart. And if we don’t act, we will keep seeing more massacres like this — because we’ll be choosing to allow them to happen. We will have said, we don’t care enough to do something about it.
For so many people here who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, the Pulse Nightclub has always been a safe haven, a place to sing and dance, and most importantly, to be who you truly are — including for so many people whose families are originally from Puerto Rico. Sunday morning, that sanctuary was violated in the worst way imaginable. So whatever the motivations of the killer, whatever influences led him down the path of violence and terror, whatever propaganda he was consuming from ISIL and al Qaeda, this was an act of terrorism but it was also an act of hate. This was an attack on the LGBT community. Americans were targeted because we’re a country that has learned to welcome everyone, no matter who you are or who you love. And hatred towards people because of sexual orientation, regardless of where it comes from, is a betrayal of what’s best in us.
We have to end discrimination and violence against our brothers and sisters who are in the LGBT community — here at home and around the world, especially in countries where they are routinely persecuted. We have to challenge the oppression of women, wherever it occurs — here or overseas. There’s only “us” — Americans.
That same day Trump campaigning to be President changed his usual stump speech to say:
We need to respond to this attack on America as one united people, with force, purpose, and determination. But the current politically correct response cripples our ability to talk and to think and act clearly. We’re not acting clearly, we’re not talking clearly, we’ve got problems.
If we don’t get tough, and if we don’t get smart, and fast, we’re not going to have our country anymore. There will be nothing, absolutely nothing, left. The killer, whose name I will not use, or ever say, was born in Afghan, of Afghan parents, who immigrated to the United States.
His father published support for the Afghan Taliban, a regime which murders those who don’t share its radical views, and they murdered plenty. The father even said he was running for president of Afghanistan. The bottom line is that the only reason the killer was in America in the first place, was because we allowed his family to come here.
But 3 years later when Trump was more of a clown President and not the despot he is now, he had ‘forgotten’ all his promises ti the LGBTQ community and gave his support to his biggest base: conservative Christians who wanted him to reverse or at least slow the Obama administration’s pro-LGBT policies.
Now barely one year into his second term he has abandoned all pretense of wanting to support any, and everything, that he cannot make a personal financial profit out of. He is so deranged that he is in fact now the countries biggest threat and danger. Things couldnt possibly be worse ….. but they are. He is breaking our spirits with the barrrage of lies and his intent of destroying both the pure fabric of our society. How a man who currently possesses the most important job in the world that is conflicted with wars, famine and climeta control yet can have time to spare to support the sh–ish and meanest acts like PAINTING OVER THE PULSE MEMORiAL CROSSINGS. is way beyond me
Leave a Reply