This Is What I've Been Thinking - Tumblr Posts
Islamic terrorist did take the blame what the fuck. Donald Trump and 3 other reporters reported that the terrorist shouted "Allahu Ackbar!" but don't you see? Terrorism's the enemy. Not the gays. Not the Republicans. Islamic terrorism is an issue.
Aside from the fact Donald Trump is not a reliable source and I’ve yet to see any reliable report that the gunman shouted that, I’m not sure what post this is in response to. I already mentioned that the gunman in the Orlando shooting pledged allegiance to ISIS and is a terrorist. But so far there’s no evidence that this attack was orchestrated by ISIS or any similar organization. My point in this post was to condemn Mike Huckabee, who has literally advocated for sending gay people to concentration camps to “contain our disease” for talking down to LGBT people within hours of the attack to imply that the average American gay person’s worst enemy is ISIS and not the Republican Party, which is demonstrably false.
A bill passed in Mississippi that literally legalizes discrimination against LGBT people; Republicans recently voted down a bill that would protect us against discrimination and hate crimes. To argue that they are not the enemy is…absurd. Even though ISIS is clearly a homophobic organization, the vast majority of American LGBT people are far more directly impacted by politicians at home.
Of course ISIS is an issue. ISIS is terrorizing people in many countries and has organized massacres all over the world. I condemn ISIS. That said, when it comes to LGBT issues, I also condemn the politicians at home who perpetuate homophobic rhetoric and have striven to strip us of our rights. I also condemn a self-satisfied neo-con like Huckabee who has the gall to, after advocating for the grossest, most extreme human rights violations against LGBT people, use our deaths to further his own political agenda.
Regarding my other post about Republicans and gun control: this man was an American citizen who (so far) has not been found to have direct ties with ISIS or other terrorist organizations. He was able to acquire a gun that has become the weapon of choice in mass shootings. The FBI had already been investigating and monitoring him for possibly being a terror threat or having terrorist connections, but found no evidence. I wonder: what do Republicans want at this point? The US government already monitors American citizens they suspect of being terror threats. They already comb through and save our internet data and wiretap our phones without warrants. They already devote much resources and time to tracking and investigating terror threats. Our military is already the most funded in the world. What do Republicans want? Even more over-reaching government surveillance? Even more warrantless searches? Even more racial profiling of Muslim Americans? More unsubstantiated arrests or detainment? The outright ban of all Muslim immigrants? Even when most mass shootings in America are perpetrated by white men and not Muslims to begin with?
Obviously, what happened early this morning was a horrifying tragedy. It was a massacre in the name of virulent homophobia and of radical pro-ISIS beliefs. But the government can’t monitor every American’s move. It can’t know every threat and when it will happen. I’m not sure what Republicans want us LGBT people and “liberals” to do exactly? Take out our fear, anger and vitriol on innocent Muslim Americans? Or Muslims abroad who have nothing to do with this attack or ISIS to begin with? What will this do to curb the epidemic of gun violence and domestic terrorism in America, which again, is mostly perpetrated by non-Muslims?
I have absolutely no sympathies with ISIS; I condemn ISIS. I am a Jewish queer person, and ISIS and its sympathizers have massacred and targeted Jews and queer people in Western countries a small number of times, and has terrorized so many more people in the Middle East, many of whom are Muslim. But as an LGBT American, I can’t concede that ISIS is more of a direct threat to me and my wellbeing than Republican politicians who legislate against me. I also will not side with reactionary conservatives who are exploiting this tragedy in my community to fuel islamophobia, hysteria and jingoism. At the end of the day, many people on all sides are trying to simplify this event, trying to politicize it in the most simplistic ways they can. We shouldn’t ignore the connection to ISIS-related radical beliefs, but this shooting doesn’t justify any of the jingoistic, reactionary or racist policies the Right advocates, and I refuse to side with them.