Life After The Orlando Shooting: LGBT Rights And Gun Control In Florida
For Victor Guanchez, that support was personified in President Barack Obama, who met Thursday with survivors at a sports arena in downtown Orlando.
When I woke Sunday morning and heard about the attack, I was numb.
In African countries like Gambia, Nigeria, Uganda and Zimbabwe, LGBT people live every day of their lives with the hate and fear that permeated Orlando’s nightclub.
“Everybody has their own mind”. I said I was fine and that work would be a decent distraction.
Whether the groundswell of compassion Guanchez felt translates into change is unclear. LGBT advocates, taking stock this week, said the push for equality was far from over.
On Tuesday, just a few days after the Pulse shooting, The Hill reported that “House GOP leaders won’t allow a vote this week on a proposal to ensure that federal contractors can’t discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity”.
“People were senselessly killed because of hate for who they are”, director of GIESORC Heidi Stanton-Schnebly said.
The Rabbinical Council of America, the major association for Orthodox rabbis, decried “murderous attacks in the name of religion” and said “no individual or group should be singled out” the way the victims were.
Conservatives have focused the blame on Islamic terrorism following the attack, while Democrats and activists blamed semi-automatic rifles and anti-discrimination laws supported by the Christian right. And those who discriminate can do so without legal consequences from the state.
“Hate and intolerance is nothing new to the LGBTQ community”, she said.
“It was devastating”, said Sharpe, 55.
After a brief musical interlude, where vigil-goers sang songs of hope, unity and love, Pastor Steve Evans of Zion Lutheran Church closed the vigil with a prayer and a call to action, urging those present to do what they could to lend their support to those affected by the tragic event.
The Orlando massacre on Sunday was quickly followed by a response from Republican Donald Trump.
Hundreds packed in for a benefit to raise money for Pulse employees. “I classify them as Americans, and it was an attack against all Americans, not just one particular class or type of American”. The horrific events in Orlando highlight that the campaign for respect and equality must go on within communities across the globe. “We are grieving for the victims and our hearts are broken for their friends, families, and for the entire community”. She lost a leg in the Tet Offensive in Vietnam. By Monday, more than 13,000 units of blood were collected, the One Blood organization said.
Republicans, though, continue to find themselves conflicted between a socially conservative base and a country that is moving quickly to the left on issues such as gay marriage and even acceptance of LGBT people more broadly.
“But keep fighting - we are who we are - we are LGBT - we are a community and we are a family and don’t ever let anyone say you are not attractive because of who you are and who you love”.