“Pray for the dead. Fight like hell for the living.“ –Mother Jones

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Our community has been attacked and we are all in shock. As we mourn, shed tears for those lost or injured in Orlando, we must double down on our efforts to demand social and legal equality. We cannot be deterred and cannot be intimidated into the shadows.

In 1990, Dr. Rob Eichberg started National Coming Out Day (NCOD) and wrote the book, “Coming Out An Act of Love.” Statistically speaking, the shooter in Orlando must have had several LGBTQ family members. We don’t know that for sure, nor do we know if any of them were out, but we do know that even anti-gay politicians soften their rhetoric when family members come out.

Now it appears that the shooter himself, may have been gay, suffering from internalized homophobia and self-hate. Whether he was or was not “one of us” the lesson is clear that families must teach acceptance of those perceived to be different, whether that difference is sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnicity, abilities or race. If parents love their children, they will teach tolerance and understanding. Then situations such as Orlando or Charleston would not have happened, nor would “radicalization” through social media.

It is with broken hearts that we mourn for those who were brutally killed. We are thankful for those who survived. We laud the law enforcement officers who risked their lives and likely prevented even more deaths. We thank the health care providers who worked non-stop, successfully saving more lives.

We also know this horrific event could have happened here in Las Vegas and any one of us could have been the victims. Even with our tremendous success at the Supreme Court this past year, we have much more work to be done, including the massive work of changing attitudes and gaining more widespread acceptance. An attack against a nightclub in Orlando is an attack against our entire community.

I would like to remind my friends that this hatred doesn’t just happen. It starts with religious intolerance and continues with the vitriol espoused by “respected” political figures. I’m bold enough to name a couple, such as Nevada Assemblyman Ira Hansen and indicted political operative Tony Dane. Also responsible are those who use Dane as a political consultant or accept his money. There are  many others, including religious leaders right here  in Nevada who still push reparative therapy and legislators who have not outlawed this unethical and discredited practice.

Like Mother Jones said, “Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living.”

Then don’t forget to donate to the EQUALITY Florida’s Go Fund Me account:

https://www.gofundme.com/pulsevictimsfund

Rob is a Las Vegas real estate agent, the treasurer of Lambda Business Association, and  the former publisher of The Bugle, the predecessor to QVegas.