Power of Love

In what police are calling the worst shooting in American history, a lone gunman killed 49 people and injured at least 53 others after opening fire at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

Officials have identified Omar Mateen as the shooter who killed 49 people and left at least 53 injured at a gay club in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday. Mateen, an American citizen in his 20s, acted alone and “very quickly” when he opened fire with what officials described as an assault rifle.

At 2 a.m., Mateen entered the club with an AR-15-type assault rifle. He began shooting, and at one point entered a gunfight with an armed, off-duty officer. Mateen left the building, and then went back in, where the violence turned into a hostage situation

Around 5 a.m., authorities decided to attempt to rescue the hostages, leading to a gunfire exchange that ended in the suspect’s death, Mina said.

The type of gun Mateen used is the same legally obtainable weapon used in the Newtown massacre, the Colorado Theater shooting and the San Bernardino shooting, in which 14 people were killed.

Prior to the killings, Mateen called 911 to pledge his allegiance to ISIL. He gave his full name to the operator, and mentioned the Boston Bombers, according to multiple sources who spoke to law enforcement.

He’s believed to have acted alone. City officials said he was an American citizen, but noted that many of his family members are not. He was killed by police following an hour-long hostage situation. (Andy Campbell)

The wife of Orlando gunman Omar Mateen said she knew her husband was planning an attack, multiple outlets reported Tuesday, citing anonymous law enforcement officials. She may now face charges. Noor Salman Mateen, the gunman’s second wife, told the FBI that she was aware of his plan for a mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, but didn’t notify authorities, according to local TV station WFTV. She said that she tried to discourage her husband from carrying out the attack, NBC News reported. Authorities are considering criminal charges against Noor Mateen, according to ABC News.

Let's get real; she could have called the FBI or the local police, but the truth is there is very little to nothing they could have done. They would have interviewed him; he would have denied planning any attacks. With the legal purchase of those weapons, there would have been nothing to hold him on. And the fact FBI interviewed him multiple times and found “not really a threat” says a lot. It's also hard to believe this stuff can happen until it happens. Judging by the statements from his first wife, she might also have been afraid for her own life.

The American Muslim community reacted with an outpouring of love and support in the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. The support came in the form of fundraisers, blood donations, and public statements that firmly condemned the violence. Muslim organizations and activists across the country have spoken out against the shooting, explicitly calling it a hate crime. At the same time, the violence sparked a debate within the community about whether Muslim leaders need to speak out more forcefully against homophobic ideologies. Like the Bible, the Quran contains verses that condemn homosexuality. LGBT Muslims have reported that it is hard for them to find queer-friendly prayer spaces and mosques. Some report feeling marginalized and even invisible.

Having grown up gay under the homophobic teachings of Christianity, a person can understand clearly where a lot of homophobia came from. Christianity taught people to hate themselves and others that were gay. This completely unnecessary and horrific brainwashing ruined a path to peaceful life....hence tremendous disdain for religion and clarity on its corrupt and false beliefs.

I cannot conceive of a worse combination than growing up gay under the oppressive influence of radical Islam. That creates an irreconcilable mental crisis within the gay male psyche. And when you add in the historically brutal retribution typically found under Islamic rule especially recently; beheadings, skinning people alive, burning them alive, cutting off their limbs, throwing them off buildings, it annihilates the mental health of a gay man.

If Omar Mateen was a sociopath to begin with, there could be no more deadly combination than his pathology perfused with the incongruous teachings of Islam that display immense ignorance and denial of the complete spectrum of human sexuality found naturally in human populations.

Being gay and alive is a radical offensive act of protest that none of us signed up for and sometimes it can genuinely feel too hard to bear but please, please keep going. There’s no better weapon against the people who want us dead than to live, and keep trying, and keep doing things that make you happy and loving each other and thriving in whatever way you can in a world that doesn’t want you. They can’t get rid of us that fucking easily. Let prove that Love triumph over evil and hatred.