Lisa A.

A Friend from LGBTQ Community Reacts to Mass Shooting,Etc.

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Photo from Twitter

Hi everyone. Like several other cities worldwide, hundreds of El Pasoans came together at San Jacinto Plaza and the El Paso County Courthouse on Sunday. The crowd mourned the loss of the 50 people who were shot and killed at the gay Orlando nightclub, Pulse Sunday morning. Fifty three patrons were also injured during the mass shooting. I watched the local videos online. The events were beautiful yet tear jerking. Bag pipers played “Amazing Grace” and local LGBTQ leaders spoke about the day’s tragic events and uniting as a country. June 12, 2016 goes down as the worst mass shooting on United States soil.

I had to explain to my son what was going on. Being the curious kid he is, he kept asking me questions like “Why did this happen?” “Who did they do this to and where?” I did the best I could to answer his questions. I showed him a photo of the gunman, Omar Mateen on my phone. I told him he shot people at a gay nightclub in Orlando. My son already knows what gay, bisexual and straight means. I told him Mateen didn’t like people who belong to the LGBTQ community. He asked me why he didn’t like them. I said because he was probably raised not to like them because they weren’t like him. I told my son there is no reason to dislike people who are different. Since he was small, I’ve always told him it’s alright to like men or women. These were very hard questions to answer but I tried my best.  

My friend Tommy belongs to El Paso’s LGBTQ community. He had the following to say about Sunday’s horrific events: 

This morning I’m heartbroken and deeply saddened by the tragic news coming from Florida. The terror is being described as the worst mass shooting in American history. Fifty are dead and 53 are injured from a shooting at a popular gay nightclub, Pulse. It’s still early in the investigative stages. It is obvious that the attacker chose to perpetrate his violence at the LGBT community. First and foremost, my thoughts and prayers go out to ALL of the victims, their family and friends, as well as to the entire Orlando community!

This senseless madness is designed to strike fear and terror in our hearts. AS AN AMERICAN, I CAN TELL YOU IT WILL NOT! The way I see it, it was an act of terrorism. In watching the news and hearing informants, this individual was preparing for a manslaughter and he succeeded. As Americans, whether LGBT or not, WE MUST COME TOGETHER AND STAND STRONG IN DEFIANCE. OUR FELLOW AMERICAN BROTHERS & SISTERS LIVES MUST NOT BE IN VAIN! We must address the hatred revolving around this nation. We are all equal and share the same blood. We should be United and embrace all kinds of people, no matter their skin color, race, gender or sexual orientation. God made us to love one another. We must stand up and stop this hatred and this uncalled for violence.

Published by Lisa A.

Hello everyone! My name is Lisa Amaya. I'm a 30 some year old mom to one son. My blog is about my life, entertainment, current events, people and events in my hometown, El Paso, Texas, etc. My blog will also feature pieces about Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and surrounding areas in New Mexico. I also hope to include more travel blog posts. Guest bloggers will also contribute from time to time! I've been a writer since I was 6 years old. I graduated from New Mexico State University with a degree in journalism. I've written for various newspapers and magazines. I plan on focusing more of my time on blogging and freelance writing. I took a five-year break from writing but I'm back at it! Thank you for stopping by and welcome!

28 comments

  10. Wow! I couldn’t agree with you more. Thank you so much for stopping by and reblogging my post. It looks like you’d have a great post based on this amazing comment.

    Like

  13. Great post , I was going to write about it, but I think I will reblog you instead, you were able to put it into words, the right words. Thank you ,

    just know Canadians are standing with each and everyone of you , gay or straight.

    Canadians are mourning the loss of life and praying for those that are injured, sending warm thoughts and healing energies to everyone who will be profoundly and forever changed for the rest of their lives, my heart goes out to all the family and friends who have lost a loved one , set their sexuality aside and look at them , just look, they were someones son and someones daughters, someones sister someones brother, someones cousin someones nieces and nephews , maybe even someones moms and dads they were someones wife or husband , they were someones best friend … they were people , human beings , regardless of anyone’s beliefs or stance on the LGBTQ … they were all of the above first and foremost, and all else second.

    Liked by 2 people

  18. Exactly, we feel so much closer and if it would have been against ourselves because it is against the people we appreciate so very much! We must never forget that this was one person. I believe that basically the majority is open and judgemental free. It is just sad that one single person can bring so much suffering!

    Liked by 1 person

  23. Thank you for the kind words, Erika 🙂 I love every word that you write here! I think it hurts me more because I have good friends and family who belong to this community. Now, I’ve even met blogging buddies who also belong to this community.

    Liked by 1 person

  24. We held a vigil at our little local OutCenter last night. Over 50 people were there and 50 candles were lit and will remain lighted until the end of the month to remember 50 souls that were taken by hatred.

    Liked by 1 person

  26. The world mourns….. wherever we are, we all are heartbroken. For some reason, it hurts even more, when such things happen to a group of people only because they are not the way others think they had to be. I think you did fantastic when you talked to your son. This is what we need to spread: We all are unique! We all are a minority and we all have the right to be it!

    Liked by 1 person

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