So the rumors have already spread about how the Orlando shooter, whose name I have purposefully chosen to omit, was a regular at the Pulse bar and kept a profile on a gay dating app. His behavior was irregular and unstable. He mentioned to the other patrons that he had a wife and child. He drank heavily and was aggressive toward the other patrons. He was heavily closeted, and heavily homophobic.
The reactions to the news have been mixed and troubling. Many feel as if the community will suffer as a result, that this will lead to many people blaming the LGBT community for, what to them, seems to be our own issue. The idea that our identity is the product of mental illness or inherent sin has been perpetuated for generations to the point where, in many people’s minds, these two concepts are inexplicably intertwined. However, the truth is more complicated than that.
Continue reading “Burn Down The Closets and Those Who Keep Us in Them”