It may seem an improbability for most, but I haven't flicked through social media in several days. Ten days if I'm being precise. Because ten days ago when I casually thumbed through my Facebook feed I was faced with terror and devastation and I haven't been able to partake in my daily scroll through Facebook ever since. I obsessively shifted my attention to several news channels, every news channel in fact. I've been consumed by facts and filibusters. However, every time my fingers habitually dance over the Facebook or Twitter app on my cell phone. I promptly hit the menu button like a frightened child.
The fact being, I am frightened. Every time I allow my mind to try and grasp the gravity of the tragedy in Orlando, my breath sharpens and a paralyzing heat takes over my mid section. In the last week, I have witnessed all too many members of the LGBTQ community tell me with their mouths that they refuse to hide, they affirm with their mouths that they will not live in fear, but this is the story they speak with their mouths. Their eyes tell another tale entirely. The fear is unspoken, yet apparent in every pair of darting eyes defiantly making their way down Santa Monica Boulevard. This fear however, isn't what has kept me from surrendering to my usual social media compulsion.
The fear I'm referring to, is my fear of hate speech. An onslaught of hate seems to have found a hospitable home on the pages of social media. I'm scared of the words that people spray all over their walls, the supremacist notions that are being shared with jarring indifference. I am disgusted as I witness those notions continue to be nurtured.The comments section of popular social sites has morphed into virtual breeding grounds for hate. Just spend a mere moment scrolling through one. I assure you it will leave you feeling scared of humanity, for humanity and mostly for the lack of humanity in humans themselves.
The fact is, hate is trending in The United States of America. It is being fostered by opinion leaders, political party leaders and religious leaders. In entertainment news, a former teen heart throb from a major 90's sitcom, publicly pronounced that Homosexuality is contributing to the demise of human kind. In ongoing news, an unexpected political leader rallies allies and supporters with the promise of making America great again. A promise all too reminiscent of the message publicized throughout the propaganda of Nazi Germany in the 1940s. Sadly, in recent news, a Baptist Minister who audaciously proclaims to speak the word of the lord, released a statement declaring that the homosexual victims of the Pulse Nightclub Massacre deserved what they got. The news stories and articles covering these three men flooded Social Media and they were soon the most popular topics for couch bigots nationwide. Anyone can become an ambassador for hate from the safety of their own living room, they can lounge comfortably on their sofa spurting out hateful slogans and selectively quoting the bible.
Media platforms host these bullies allowing them to, in 140 characters or less, discharge hateful and vengeful proclamations, while instantly receiving validation via a virtual thumbs up or a retweet. If the hateful campaigns ended there, with mere words, then maybe as a community we could take the high road. We would adopt the sticks and stones mentality of children combating playground bullies. But this isn't the playground. Those childhood bullies are now all grown up and some have surrendered their water pistols in exchange for assault rifles. For some, rousing reactions to hate is just a tasty gateway. It spurs them on and encourages acts of bigoted vigilantism. The championing of this hate has begun to act as food and nourishment for homophobic vigilantes afflicted with the delusion that taking the lives of those different from them, is the only way to make America great again.
So what do we do? How do you even begin to retaliate against something as forceful as hate? We could dive teeth first into the comments section of various platforms. We could thrust hate back at the hateful, pointing out their flawed biblical justifications and chastising their behavior as a contribution to the demise of humankind. However, at some point, we're sure to find that combating hate with more hate is simply counterintuitive. Instead, maybe we could act as the antidote. We could spread love where hate has found homes. We could lovingly encourage our allies to join us rather than reprimanding them, and we could continue to remind the world that the LGBTQ community was founded on the premise of love conquering all.
The voice of our unwavering community and it's devoted allies is strong enough and loud enough to drown out the most hateful of speeches. Our only response to hate should be concise, eloquent and simple; #lovewins , #loveislove , #loveconquersall. I wholeheartedly believe that we have the power to change the future of what's trending in the United States of America and I invite you all to hold my hand and give me the courage to extend love in the face of hate. I promise I will hold yours.