That's It.
I am tired of having nights where I can't think of words to write because all of the words in my head are about tragedy. I'm tired of tolerating hate and ignorance because I realize that there is no hope for some people. I'm tired of trying to be polite.
I'm tired.
That's exactly why I'm standing up, taller than ever. I'm going to beat my drum as loud as I can because I desperately need to make a difference. I don't know what to do, but I'm going to try all of the things.
If you're tired too, here are some things I've found in the past few days:
1. Banning the AR-15 from civilian ownership is a common sense thing to do. I'm not going to bother to argue the why; I'll just say that if you disagree, I firmly believe you either A) Are scared; B) Have a small penis; and/or C) Sleep better at night knowing that at any moment, someone may open fire on a room full of children and kill all of them in a matter of seconds. If you fall under the last category, leave now. You are a monster and you need to leave now.
There's a petition demanding that the AR-15 be banned from civilian ownership here.
2. I'm done with the NRA having a bigger voice in government than I do. I used this website to find out who is being bought and called and emailed the appropriate representatives.
3. Teen Vogue has been showing how reporting after tragedy should be done. I know, it's weird. It's true, though. Their twitter stream has been sobering and helpful and all of the things.
4. Read their names. Look at their faces. We, collectively, allowed Orlando to happen through our refusal to have the hard conversations and our inability to organize to make changes that matter. We owe them a few seconds to learn who they were and what we've lost.
5. It matters that this was a hate crime targeted at LGBTQ people. We have allowed hate speech to go on and we've permitted a world where people have to live in fear because of who they love. We continue to stand by quietly while violence ruins lives. Each time we are cowards and remain silent when hate is spoken, we give it permission to grow. Orlando wasn't the first incident. We've had plenty of opportunities to recognize the need to change our world.
6. As Dwight said, sometimes you need to shut up and listen. (If you have other links that should be amplified, send them to me via comment on this post, Facebook, or Twitter and I will add them.)
There are No Safe Havens Anymore
Biphobia and the Pulse Massacre
Monday, June 13, 2016