Y’all, I’m tired. I’m tired of our do-nothing congress responding to every mass shooting with “thoughts and prayers.” I’m tired of our media refusing to acknowledge the cause of these gunmen’s actions. I’m tired of conservatives pretending “mental illness” is the only reason these hateful men commit the acts that they do. Frankly, Orlando was not about “mental illness,” your “thoughts and prayers” won’t make homophobia go away, and a refusal to acknowledge homophobia as an issue that needs to be called out in all its forms will just embolden and legitimize the viewpoints of men like Omar Mateen. Now y’all were quick to call this mass shooting an act of terrorism and try your damndest to blame it on Islam. However, when Dylann Roof walked into a black church, gunned down nine black folks, and left a manifesto outlining the racial motives behind his attack y’all couldn’t even call it racism. Y’all sent “thoughts and prayers,” blamed his attack on “mental illness,” and refused to even acknowledge that his hateful racists thinking led to his hateful racists actions. Why do we always refuse to acknowledge the systemic issues within the United States? Instead, we legitimize hatred of folks that are not white, heterosexual, cisgendered, or christian by calling bigotry “controversial.” Y’all, it is not offensive to call a spade a spade. Dylann Roof is a racist, Omar Mateen is a homophobe, and their radicalization is endemic of a country that thinks being shamed for racism and homophobia is far worse than actually committing acts of racism and homophobia.
You don’t think that’s the case? Tough luck, I got some bad news for you big fella – that is the world we live in and it is unacceptable. Just look at how the media tolerates and courts Donald Trump. The man calls Mexicans “rapists and murderers” and the media wants to call his statements “controversial.” That’s not controversial, that’s disgusting. That’s xenophobic. That’s bigoted. Lots of things we can call Trump’s statements, controversial ain’t one of them. Over 100 LGBTQ+ folk are murdered or wounded in the worst mass shooting on US soil in recent history and our media does not even have the gall to point at the elephant in the room, just like they can’t seem to muster the “courage” to call Donald Trump’s statements bigoted. We’re told “don’t politicize Orlando” by conservatives that just spent how many months politicizing transgender use of bathrooms? Get out of my face with that mess. You think there isn’t a problem? You think hatred of people we can readily identify as different isn’t rampant? I’m gonna need y’all to open y’all’s eyes cause y’all lyin to y’all selves. We got Christian pastors praising the shooter but some of y’all gonna still gonna play deaf, dumb, and blind to the hatred all around us and blame Islam or “mental illness.” Y’all ain’t fooling anyone. You can fool y’all selves but you’re not fooling me.
The Orlando shooter was a regular on terrorist watchlists and legally acquired a firearm. How does that happen? Why is that okay? Why did our Senate just shoot down four bills that could potentially prevent men like Omar from legally acquiring firearms? I need y’all to put up or shut up. Name another country that would have allowed this man to legally acquire a firearm. I’ll wait. Are we going to continue to give men that actively want to hurt us the means to do so, or are we going to do the right thing and nip this problem in the bud? I want y’all to think about what type of America you want to live in. An America where blatant bigotry is tolerated instead of repudiated? An America where any madman with malice in his heart can walk into a store, acquire a firearm, and carry out his bigoted plans? Maybe an America where we blame “mental health issues” on all of our problems but continue to offer up no solutions? I don’t know what y’all’s vision for America is but I hope it isn’t any of those. We failed Sandy Hook, Charleston, and Orlando. We fail when we refuse to acknowledge and shame hate. We fail when we refuse to do something about our lax firearm regulations. We fail when we blame “mental illness” but do nothing for our mentally ill. And we will fail again when the next individual with a hateful agenda decides to shoot up a school, church, or club. Until we call out hate, implement common sense gun control, and stop using “mental health issues” as a shield to hide behind when confronted with our culture’s systemic bigotry, nothing will change. Nothing will change, y’all.
State Senate District 5 Gwinnett
I’m tired of “thoughts and prayers.” Put Up or Shut Up.
June 29, 2016 — 5th District Blog Posts and CommentsY’all, I’m tired. I’m tired of our do-nothing congress responding to every mass shooting with “thoughts and prayers.” I’m tired of our media refusing to acknowledge the cause of these gunmen’s actions. I’m tired of conservatives pretending “mental illness” is the only reason these hateful men commit the acts that they do. Frankly, Orlando was not about “mental illness,” your “thoughts and prayers” won’t make homophobia go away, and a refusal to acknowledge homophobia as an issue that needs to be called out in all its forms will just embolden and legitimize the viewpoints of men like Omar Mateen. Now y’all were quick to call this mass shooting an act of terrorism and try your damndest to blame it on Islam. However, when Dylann Roof walked into a black church, gunned down nine black folks, and left a manifesto outlining the racial motives behind his attack y’all couldn’t even call it racism. Y’all sent “thoughts and prayers,” blamed his attack on “mental illness,” and refused to even acknowledge that his hateful racists thinking led to his hateful racists actions. Why do we always refuse to acknowledge the systemic issues within the United States? Instead, we legitimize hatred of folks that are not white, heterosexual, cisgendered, or christian by calling bigotry “controversial.” Y’all, it is not offensive to call a spade a spade. Dylann Roof is a racist, Omar Mateen is a homophobe, and their radicalization is endemic of a country that thinks being shamed for racism and homophobia is far worse than actually committing acts of racism and homophobia.
You don’t think that’s the case? Tough luck, I got some bad news for you big fella – that is the world we live in and it is unacceptable. Just look at how the media tolerates and courts Donald Trump. The man calls Mexicans “rapists and murderers” and the media wants to call his statements “controversial.” That’s not controversial, that’s disgusting. That’s xenophobic. That’s bigoted. Lots of things we can call Trump’s statements, controversial ain’t one of them. Over 100 LGBTQ+ folk are murdered or wounded in the worst mass shooting on US soil in recent history and our media does not even have the gall to point at the elephant in the room, just like they can’t seem to muster the “courage” to call Donald Trump’s statements bigoted. We’re told “don’t politicize Orlando” by conservatives that just spent how many months politicizing transgender use of bathrooms? Get out of my face with that mess. You think there isn’t a problem? You think hatred of people we can readily identify as different isn’t rampant? I’m gonna need y’all to open y’all’s eyes cause y’all lyin to y’all selves. We got Christian pastors praising the shooter but some of y’all gonna still gonna play deaf, dumb, and blind to the hatred all around us and blame Islam or “mental illness.” Y’all ain’t fooling anyone. You can fool y’all selves but you’re not fooling me.
The Orlando shooter was a regular on terrorist watchlists and legally acquired a firearm. How does that happen? Why is that okay? Why did our Senate just shoot down four bills that could potentially prevent men like Omar from legally acquiring firearms? I need y’all to put up or shut up. Name another country that would have allowed this man to legally acquire a firearm. I’ll wait. Are we going to continue to give men that actively want to hurt us the means to do so, or are we going to do the right thing and nip this problem in the bud? I want y’all to think about what type of America you want to live in. An America where blatant bigotry is tolerated instead of repudiated? An America where any madman with malice in his heart can walk into a store, acquire a firearm, and carry out his bigoted plans? Maybe an America where we blame “mental health issues” on all of our problems but continue to offer up no solutions? I don’t know what y’all’s vision for America is but I hope it isn’t any of those. We failed Sandy Hook, Charleston, and Orlando. We fail when we refuse to acknowledge and shame hate. We fail when we refuse to do something about our lax firearm regulations. We fail when we blame “mental illness” but do nothing for our mentally ill. And we will fail again when the next individual with a hateful agenda decides to shoot up a school, church, or club. Until we call out hate, implement common sense gun control, and stop using “mental health issues” as a shield to hide behind when confronted with our culture’s systemic bigotry, nothing will change. Nothing will change, y’all.