Terror on the dance floor

Bobby-Henry,-Srpins-THIS-ONTerror on the dance floor

“Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Proverbs 10:12

By Lorenzo Robertson

“It is a profound tragedy to witness lives lost due to such unadulterated hatred. However, we as a people have killed many more of our brothers and sisters as a result of ignorance, stigma and idiocy. When will we begin to sow love and not hate?” Bobby R. Henry, Sr., publisher, Westside Gazette

Over 300 people left their homes on Saturday to enjoy the music and frivolity of Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla.; 50 would never return home and another 50 would be hospitalized. The pain and anguish suffered by the LGBT community is so immense and overwhelming that words escape my brain. The sheer hatred of one man for a group of people is so heartbreaking, but we cannot allow the voice and the actions of people that hate to overshadow the power of love.

Sunday morning when the news about the massacre hit the news feeds and social media, immediately I was wounded that one man had the power to destroy so many lives in such a short period of time. There needs to be so much more done to stop the violence and the hate.  What can be done to stop people who believe that the mass destruction of life is right in their eyes and sanctioned by their God?

I know and understand that all Muslim believers are not purveyors of hate and we cannot condemn all Muslims for the actions of a few. It doesn’t matter if you agree or disagree with the LGBT orientation or not, ALL people deserve the right to BE.

There have been so many tears shed for the victims of the massacre and there will be many more shed. I did not shed any tears; not because I was not hurt or saddened by the brutal slaying of the innocent, but I was too angry to cry; too mad to give the purveyor of hate the satisfaction of my tears. We ALL need to stand together as people regardless of sexual orientation, to demonstrate that we will not let hate win… Love will always win.

Being a same gender loving man, the brutal slaying of others that are also same gender loving people created a hole in my heart that will not soon be filled. I know and understand that there are people that do not like those like me simply because of the people we chose to love.  But, I refuse to allow anyone to dictate to me how I should live my life.

My heart, soul, mind and spirit are with the families of the victims of the brutality of hate and I pray the healing starts soon. We as a nation have been traumatized by the action of one. Trauma needs healing regardless of the trauma, you need to heal. I pray that we all come to terms with the hatred that exists in our community and remain vigilant and steadfast in our wake to assure that Love Wins.

None of us know the mind of the spreader of hate that ended the lives of 50 people and we have to show our Christian love and not fall into the trap of being those that hate. We have to rise above the muck and mire of hatred and realize that there is only one God and how we choose to serve him is our choice. We cannot allow those that hate us to halt us from living our lives. So we have to attend Stonewall parade, Pride events, gay bars and other locales frequented by same gender loving people. Otherwise, they win. We cannot let the purveyors of hate win… Love will always win.

So for me the tears have not flowed because I refuse to give them the satisfaction of making me cry for lives that have been halted by hatred. My heart, mind, soul and spirit are with the many family and friends that have been impacted by hatred. I pray that this will be the last incident of this nature. There are things we can do to start making change… vote for those that are standing to make changes in gun control and making it more difficult for haters to have access to guns. We stand on the bones of our ancestors and we have to do better to live the true and authentic lives they died for us to live. Love will always win.

Here is the statement from the World AIDS Museum and Educational Center:

“We are deeply disturbed by yet another act of horrific violence. The GLBTQ community is a huge part of the HIV/AIDS story and we stand behind them in their current tragedy and in their many victories. Orlando is another example of the profound effects of stigma.”

About Carma Henry 24481 Articles
Carma Lynn Henry Westside Gazette Newspaper 545 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 Office: (954) 525-1489 Fax: (954) 525-1861

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*