The LGBT community (and allies) is one powerful voice, and here are the numbers to prove it.
#lovewillwin is what I keep telling myself and posting on social media since the devastating Orlando attack targeting the LGBTIQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and questioning) community.
The past few days have been a rollercoaster of emotions for many of us. From initial shock and sadness for the unfair death of 49 human beings, to anger and outrage at the media and society for erasing the sexuality of the victims and labelling this an act of terror more than an act of hate, promptly leveraging islamophobia to pit two vulnerable communities (LGBT and Muslim) against each other, and exploiting this tragic event to push personal and political agendas.
Love has to win, I keep repeating to myself while I stand proud with thousands of other LGBT people and allies in Old Compton Street, London to commemorate the deaths of 49 beautiful souls and show the world that no bullet can break us.
Love has to win, I keep repeating myself while I wipe the tears off my face and scream with anger because, even in 2016, we’re still far from being treated fairly and equally.
Love has to win, I say it but struggle to believe it when I read the news and see that ANTI-GAY campaigners around the world tell us that: “God laughs at the death of those homosexuals, he laughs at the calamity, because you deserve it. You deserve death”.
I shake, I hurt, I process the pain and like every other LGBTIQ person I turn it into strength. I look around me and I know I’m not alone.
Love will win, I tell myself again and again.
With the help of our data analytics team and our social media monitoring tools, I’ve quantified the love and support that we’ve received over the past few days to remind the world (and myself) that the love is real, that we’re not alone, that we and our precious allies are resilient have one powerful voice. And here are the numbers to prove it.
Love wins every time we go beyond the surface of things, love wins when we stay informed, love wins every time radical, judgmental and hateful views of other human beings are called out. And this is why we (LGBT people and allies) are still fighting. Keep on sharing the love. #lovewillwin
• Equality Florida, the state’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organisation has set up a GoFundMe page. Click on the following link for more information https://www.gofundme.com/2942a444
