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Hate crime
Jun. 13th, 2016 02:25 amI’ve been rather disconnected this weekend -- working, and the beach, and trying to sort my sleep schedule - so I just heard about the Orlando shooting.
And after the initial wave of horror and sadness, came telling myself: well, we have gun control where I live. (And then remembering a friend’s story about guys with weapons waiting in the car park outside a gay club and the patrons sneaking out the back. This was in 2010.) Well, this is part of the anti-LGBTQ backlash happening in the States. We’re not having that here.
Which is just a horrible way to be thinking; it’s small-minded and selfish, or it feels that way, even though I’m not sure I’d think that about other people. But that’s why hate crimes are a particular threat against the social order, of course. It’s not solely a horrific act of violence against dozens of innocent people, not just a crime against everyone who loved them; it’s also a warning to queer people everywhere. Remember to feel vulnerable and know that people hate you.
And after the initial wave of horror and sadness, came telling myself: well, we have gun control where I live. (And then remembering a friend’s story about guys with weapons waiting in the car park outside a gay club and the patrons sneaking out the back. This was in 2010.) Well, this is part of the anti-LGBTQ backlash happening in the States. We’re not having that here.
Which is just a horrible way to be thinking; it’s small-minded and selfish, or it feels that way, even though I’m not sure I’d think that about other people. But that’s why hate crimes are a particular threat against the social order, of course. It’s not solely a horrific act of violence against dozens of innocent people, not just a crime against everyone who loved them; it’s also a warning to queer people everywhere. Remember to feel vulnerable and know that people hate you.
