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Orlando strong

from all sides discussed self was taken down by law enforcement. Jimenez of Verity Baptist Church in Sac-
ways and means of pre- Those politicians who describe the Or- ramento went so far as to praise the Or-
venting future killings lando killing as a “terrorist” attack on an lando massacre, which reminds us, as if
without accomplishing “Orlando club,” without mentioning the we needed a reminder, that homophobic
anything. Conservatives fact that Pulse is an LGBT club and the bigotry and hatred is not exclusive to any
screamed about “radical victims were LGBT or LGBT-friendly, do one religion.
Islam” and progressives themselves and us a great disservice.
The Pulse massacre happened at the
pleaded for gun control beginning of LGBT Pride Month, in the Texas Republican Congressman Pete
while, in the real world, wake of a wave of Pride celebrations Sessions described Pulse as a “Latin
in Orlando and else- across the globe. Some of our people are club,” ignoring the fact that many of us are
where, there are spous- now reluctant to attend Pride events, fear- both Latinx and LGBT. Politicians who
es, partners, children, ing that they and their communities might deny the LGBT component of the Pulse
parents, siblings, and also be targeted by another mad murderer. massacre do so because of their own an-
friends left behind who Though the possibility of a copycat killer ti-LGBT records and opinions. Rick Scott
will now have to learn to is sadly always there, we must not let fear and Pam Bondi and Marco Rubio are not
live without their loved keep us from doing what we do so well: our friends, no matter what they say.
ones, because they are living and loving one another in a com- Before the Pulse massacre, the larg-
no longer with them.
munity with other LGBT people and our est killing of Gay people took place on
allies. If we surrender to fear we will be Conservatives June 24, 1973, at the Upstairs Lounge in
giving the murderer a posthumous victo- like Donald Trump New Orleans. There an arsonist started
Jesse Monteagudo ( Gay Today)
ry and gladden the hearts of Muslim and condemned the Pulse a re that killed 32 people - mostly Gay
by Jesse Monteagudo
Christian and Jewish zealots who want massacre as the work of men, many of them members of the local
Special to the SGN
us to die or at least disappear. Like the radical Muslims. Though Mateen, who chapter of the Metropolitan Community
LGBT community of Orlando, we must be I keep mentioning even though I hate to Church. Though MCC founder Rev. Troy
strong and continue to love one another, give him any more posthumous infamy Perry and other Gay activists gave the It has now been a little over a week
for together we are greater than any of our than he already has (we should remember victims their due, the largely homophobic since Omar Mateen went on a shoot-
enemies.
the victims instead), pledged allegiance to world outside ignored them, except for a ing spree that killed 49 men and wom-
ISIS between murders, there is no proof few jerks who made tasteless comments en, mostly LGBT Latinxs, and tragically
that he had any real connection to that like “let the faggots burn.” This type of made the Pulse nightclub in Orlando the
or any other terrorist group. ISIS or not, behavior would not be widely tolerated to- most famous LGBT bar since the Stone-
the Pulse massacre was basically one big day, when many more LGBT people have wall Inn.
hate crime, the mass murder of innocent come out of their closets and many more In the days after June 12, millions of
people at an LGBT club who were bru- non-LGBT people have learned to know words were written and published that de-
tally killed just because they were LGBT and love at least one LGBT family mem- scribed or explained or condemned this
or supportive allies. There was an online ber, friend, or colleague. Of course there event; grief-stricken families and friends
discussion of whether or not Mateen was will always be assholes among us, like the buried or cremated their loved ones; sur-
himself a closeted Gay man, in turmoil members of the Westboro Baptist Church vivors recovered at home or in hospitals;
over his sexuality. Closet or no, the fact who, as expected, showed up to protest the communities held memorials; and pol-
remains that Mateen hated us and killed funerals of the massacre victims. Radical iticians acted like, well, politicians. As
as many of us as he could, before he him-
right-wing Christians like Pastor Roger
with previous mass shootings, politicos

policeuodateorlando.om

abcnews.om

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June 24, 2016
Seattle Gay News 7