The beat of the music still going strong at 2am. Being surrounded by friends and friends that have become family. Seeing familiar faces in line for the bathroom. Embracing our community that comes together to celebrate. Forgetting the outside world’s judgment because I feel less out of the norm in the presence of my LGBTQ peers.
These are the thoughts that came to mind when I thought about being inside a gay club.
Now when I think of a gay club I think of the music not masking the sounds of gunfire. I think of wondering which friends I won’t get to see again.
I think about seeing familiar faces now emoting looks of fear, hiding in the bathroom. I think about how our community now comes together to mourn. I think about someone’s hate being powerful enough to break apart the cocoon of a sacred place for those deemed as different.
My heart breaks for everyone who lost their lives that night in Pulse, and for those who were injured. My heart breaks for everyone who lost family and friends that night. My heart breaks for our community, whom is intertwined as one. My heart breaks for all Americans, as mass shootings continue to increase in how often and how many and we are left unprotected by our government.
Fear may lead people to hatred, but we must not let hatred lead us to fear. Our community has a history of coming together to inflict change where we see injustice. We came together to ensure marriage equality in 2015, and now we will come together to pressure our government to pass stronger gun laws. Only then will we be able to continue to congregate in gay clubs across the country and celebrate our individuality and how wonderful that is.
The victims of pulse will never be forgotten because just like the pulse in our body is able to measures our rhythm and heartbeat, adversity and tragedy can measure the pulse of our community—and our heart beats strong.
Godspeed.
