On the Subject of "Community"

“Tragedy is like a strong acid- it dissolves away all but the very gold of truth.”  
D.H. Lawrence

Nothing gold can stay. Almost a year after the SCOTUS decision to legalize same-gender marriage nationwide, the LGBTQ+ community has been faced with a tidal wave after the Pulse Nightclub Shooting in Orlando, FL. on June 12th. We lost 50+ members of our colorful family, and amidst a time of great progress for our community, I can’t help but feel as though our lives are dispensable to a large majority. 

Perhaps, our queerness has subjected us to feeling this way, as if us being ostracized for everyday society will always leave us feeling like second class citizens, as it’s impossible to completely eradicate all prejudice. However, our community was built on fighting back, and it is through tragedy and hate that we find strength, determination, and pride. We as a community are a product of our persecution, our greatest moments are a result of resistance against the inequality that keeps us 'othered.' After the shooting in Orlando, the unity I witnessed within the LGBTQIA+ community was unprecedented. We found solace in our grief, a connection created upon our shared sadness. It is this unity that we must remember, not only in times of tragedy, but always. In a world built to treat us with oppression, we should always have each other to turn to for love and support. The petty infighting rampant within our community is both futile and harmful, and it is unfortunate that it took a tragedy to bring us together and remember why we are a family in the first place. 

This community is one of the best things to have ever happened to me; within it I found love, acceptance, and some forever friends. It has opened my eyes to real, honest beauty, bravery, and truth. This tragedy has rocked us to our core, but as a result it’s revealed the nature of our community as a whole. If tragedy is a strong acid that dissolves away all to reveal the very gold of truth, then the love, harmony, and support of the LGBTQIA+ community is that shiny, golden truth. 

Queer is invincible, our very existence is rebellion.