Moving Forward

Over 3 years ago, my friend and I camped overnight outside of the supreme court in D.C. to hear a few moments of the DOMA arguments.
Rallies and protestors were outside.

I spent a lot of last week trying to process the attack in Orlando. No, I didn't know anyone who was harmed personally, but that shouldn't stop me (or anyone) from grieving the loss of innocent life.

I wrote a really long post/rant shortly after it happened that probably won't ever be shared because I realized afterwards that it was really just for me to relieve emotions and questions I had regarding this tragedy. So if you're part of the LGBTQ community, or simply an ally, and are still processing/grieving I suggest starting there. Write down how you're feeling, any questions you might have, and maybe how you plan to move forward from this tragic event.

This was a family rallying outside of the supreme court the first day of the DOMA arguments.
Just to the left of them were members of the Westboro Baptist Church.
Their strength and love in the face of hate literally brought tears to my eyes that day. 

I was able to come to one final conclusion after sorting out my thoughts: Above all, I will always preach love and acceptance in my home. Right now, it doesn't mean much because I live alone and I'm pretty much only responsible for myself. But this event left me thinking a lot about the future and what changes I can make to help prevent things like this from happening. The only solid conclusion I could come to was that if I were to ever take on the responsibility of starting a family that my children need to be taught acceptance (not tolerance), compassion, and love.

From what I can tell, the person who carried out this attack on this double minority group (LGBTQ and the Latino community) was hurting. The only way to heal hurt is with love.