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Orlando shooting reveals homophobia alive and well

Jessica Brierton
Guest Opinion

Dear anyone speaking for or against gun control in the wake of the Orlando tragedy,

Please stop.

The issues that have been hotly debated between politicians and residents across the United States have mostly related to gun control, but they've also included a ban on Muslims as proposed by Donald Trump. While these are important issues to discuss, we are drawing away from the real issue that led to the heartbreaking massacre in Orlando.

Imagine, if you will, a community with an alarming rate of cancer diagnoses due to their contaminated water supply. After the story breaks, the immediate outcry is related to insurance companies not covering the majority of the medical costs for people in this community and that Big Pharma continues to charge an outrageous amount for chemotherapy medications for cancer patients. The primary concern should be to address and correct the true cause of the problem: the contaminated water supply.

The problem that breeds violence against the LGBTQ community is that our country is not truly accepting of LGBTQ individuals. Yes, we have made strides as we are seeing more policies in favor of equality. However, there are still critical issues which indicate our culture has not accepted LGBTQ individuals. While I’m not going to list all of the issues that I’m aware of, I would like to speak about four of them.

We hear our friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, acquaintances and strangers use derogatory statements such as “no homo,” “that’s gay,” and “you’re a f-g.” It’s tiring to say something every time you hear these phrases and explain why it’s hurtful and discriminatory, yet it feels like a stab in the heart every time we hear it.

Our love and relationships are treated like a piece of art that people get to judge if they approve or do not approve. Some politicians and religious leaders speak out against what is a central part of who we are. Normally, we do not form opinions about the morality or value of heterosexual relationships, but everyone has an opinion on homosexual relationships. We have to fight for equal rights and protections simply because we are attracted to some people of the same sex.

We often monitor our actions or statements in fear of experiencing discrimination. Discrimination can occur at the hands of family, neighbors, co-workers, supervisors, doctors, dentists, lawyers, realtors, acquaintances, strangers, etc., and we never know when we are within line of sight of someone who is homophobic. These discriminatory events vary in severity and can be incredibly distressing. During or after the discriminatory event, many turn a blind eye, remain silent and do nothing to help the homophobic person change their heart and mind about the way they view LGBTQ persons. Silence in these situations often comes across as support of homophobic person in the eyes of the LGBTQ individual, and these experiences can cause further negative or traumatic responses.

We do not feel safe in public areas. Gay bars and clubs have become our sanctuary to express who we are and to be able to show affection to our partners without fear just as heterosexual couples are able to do in public. Any time we learn about a violent hate crime against a LGBTQ person, it is a sad, grim reminder that could easily happen to any of us. When I attended my local candlelight vigil for Orlando while wearing a "love is love" shirt with a rainbow heart on it, my partner told me she wished I hadn’t worn the shirt because she did not feel safe walking around downtown with me because of it. Sadly, I had the same thought as I noticed the amount of lingering looks I was receiving.

I share this to offer a glimpse into a world that may be different than yours and in hope that we can change the dialogue in the wake of Orlando. We need to focus on changing the way we talk about LGBTQ people, how we debate about LGBTQ-related legislation, how we address anti-LGBTQ actions and statements, and how we can most effectively help people who do not accept LGBTQ individuals in order to prevent another tragedy such as what happened at Pulse in Orlando. Personally, I am pro-gun control and against a ban due to any religion, but that’s not what is most important right now. We just lost 49 wonderful people in one massacre. How many more LGBTQ people will we lose because of our “tolerance” to homosexuality in our culture?

Jessica Brierton

Jessica Brierton is a recent Master of Social Work graduate at the University of Iowa.