Sunshine, lights and torches

I was going to write about a variety of things this month, I had actually written two blogs that I have put on hold since the Orlando shooting happened. It was something that made every molecule in my being curdle, there was so many parts of me separating that I felt numb to my core. I was disgusted that someone attacked the LGBTI community in our safe place, gay clubs aren’t just nightclubs: they are a place where we go to be with like-minded people, a place not to be judged and to come together as a community.

We are humans. We are all humans. Let’s not blame religion. What happened in Orlando stemmed from hate, not religion, there are people in the world that use religion as an excuse for the vessel of their hatred and for the darkness that lives inside of them. They lack complete accountability for their actions, ’oh I did that because God told me’… Did he? Or are you just so messed up in your head that you think it’s ok to buy a semi-automatic weapon and completely destroy the lives of those in the club, their families and their friends!? The majority of people use religion for hope, for love and to help them understand major life events; a guiding light to help them through the darkness. I don’t have the same belief system but I won’t judge people for what they believe unless they are hurting someone. ISIS is not religion, it is hate group; a collective group of haters. They want us to turn on each other and to cause bureaucratic anarchy. It’s fucked. They have no accountability for who they are and what they do.

I will never, ever stoop to such a low life human emotion as hate. We are human beings, living our lives and making it through each day. We each have a purpose, the fact we are each here is a miracle in itself, a one in 400 trillion probability according to science… That precise second that your life was created, you being here on this planet is an amazing thing and nobody, NOBODY, has the right to take that miracle away except for nature and genetics.

We all need to be torches of kindness, torches for what is right, torches of education to eradicate ignorance. If we all individually shine our light, we become vivid and collectively we can spread kindness like sunbeams enlightening the world.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. 
Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Have we become so impatient and so transient that we have forgotten what is important? Do you take the time to stop and enjoy where you are? What you have? Even when you sit in restaurants and look around at people on their mobiles, is anyone really present? Have we forgotten the importance of human relationships, of supporting those we love and of acts of solicitude? I mean, really!? It’s so easy to sit on social media and dish out hate speech, share a kind quote, make a joke and troll on other people. That’s part of the problem, it’s so easy to say things at any one moment in time due to the accessibility of the internet… You unlock your phone and the words spill out in that moment. It’s so instant to share and say things, that maybe we are starting to forget the importance of living and of human life.

You are what you do: your actions are who you are, not your words. These were people in their safe place who were just living; just being, they were not harming anyone, they were creating memories with their lives stretched out in front of them and someone purposely went into a club with a semi-automatic weapon with the intent to kill. This was an act of hate and not an act of religion. Orlando was a homophobic act.

It stems back to the fact that homophobia is still alive and well, it brings me back to my marriage equality blog from last month.  Ignorance breeds fear, fear breeds hatred and hatred leads to people being irrational. This irrationality is preventing civilised progress to bring marriage to the true definition of love, just two consenting adults wanting to spend their lives together. Why should someone who is scared (a phobia is a fear, an irrational fear) dictate whom I can marry? Why did fear lead to my sexual preference being made illegal and in some places punishable by death? Complete freakin’ ignorance. So instead of telling me that I am not allowed to enjoy my feelings of love towards whom I please, why don’t you go and educate yourself? Evolve as a human being.

I read an awesome quote, essentially saying we should have a reality TV show where gay marriage opponents should live 100% under biblical law just to show us all how awesome it is. Wouldn’t that be great to put a little perspective on current law and social evolution!?

I would love to stop typing on this keyboard because these words seem fruitless. I would love to organise a little dinner with Malcolm Turnbull, sit across a table from him, look him in the eye and just say ‘why Malcolm? Why do we need a plebiscite? What is your reasoning? You previously claimed you support gay marriage and here you are in an envious position to make Australian history, to progress Australian society – a position most same sex marriage supporters would love to be in. You can utilise that power as a self-proclaimed marriage equality supporter to bring about a bill to equalise marriage, to give everyone in love the choice to pledge their love to the person they love. Are you just another politician full of words and lacking in action? What you are doing right now hurts me and hurts the LGBTI community. We are here for such a short period of time and we have just as much right to celebrate our relationships as anyone else, help us eradicate ignorance and celebrate love. You are not what you say Malcolm, you are what you do.’

Anyway, I am pretty angry, but being angry won’t address anything and I am using my blog to be positive and educate. The whole Orlando situation was grossly unfair that one person’s phobia (remember irrational fear) extinguished 49 lives far too early. This is what happens when you give hate a semi-automatic weapon with shitty gun laws, it’s tragic how America is so opposed to reverse a law that makes killing so easy but is still so disgusted about a law allowing love to be more equal in the form of marriage equality. I am fed up of hearing ‘second amendment’.

Nothing will bring those 49 lives back or retract the irreversible damage caused to 53 others that were injured inside Pulse, but we can turn those 49 lives into a revolution and make their lives mean something and leave a legacy in this world. We can all flick on our torches of love for each other, hold them high and we can all make a stand for equality… Whether racial, social or sexual preference… We’re all human and if you don’t want to get along and help each other through, then maybe we should create a little island called ‘ignoramus’ where all the hate preachers can go and live, then the rest of us can get on with living and loving.

Your light is yours to give and no-one should be able to darken this, so remember to keep your light on, keep your flame burning brightly, not only for you but for the life and the lives of others that surround you.

*I will not name the gunman and give him any fame or accolade for which he does not deserve. Let’s remember: Edward Sotomayor Jr., Stanley Almodovar III, Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, Akyra Monet Murray, Luis S. Vielma, Juan Ramon Guerrero, Christopher Andrew Leinonen, Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, Kimberly Morris, Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, EnriqueRios, Anthony Luis Laureano Disla, Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega, Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, Cory James Connell, Mercedez Marisol Flores, Deonka Deidra Drayton, Miguel Angel Honorato, Jason Benjamin Josaphat, Darryl Roman Burt II, Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, Oscar A Aracena-Montero, Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez, Shane Evan Tomlinson, Amanda Alvear, Martin Benitez Torres, Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, Javier Jorge-Reyes, Tevin Eugene Crosby, Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez, Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, Joel Rayon Paniagua, Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, Luis Daniel Conde, Juan Chevez-Martinez, Jerald Arthur Wright, Leroy Valentin Fernandez, Jean C. Nives Rodriguez, Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, Angel L. Candelario-Padro, Frank Hernandez, Paul Terrell Henry, Antonio Davon Brown, Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, Alejandro Barrios-Martinez, Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez.

Written by Corina Hawkins - soon to be author with assistance from Lauren Kamasz.