![christian hate gay bar shooting christian hate gay bar shooting](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2016/06/14/us/hate-crimes-against-lgbt-1466044414162/hate-crimes-against-lgbt-1466044414162-facebookJumbo.jpg)
The feeling of sanctuary I had walking into that place was nothing short of holy. After I came out in the mid-90’s, friends took me to Railroad in Detroit, which mostly catered to the lesbian community. Reflecting on the shooting, Marie Alford-Harkey, president and CEO of the Religious Institute said, “I still remember what it felt like the first time I went to a “gay” bar. And let us continue to actively work for a world where all people can live authentically in safety. Let us hold the dead in our hearts and in our prayers. Let us celebrate the resilience and strength of God’s queer children. As people of faith, we must continue to work to change our culture of fear and hate to one of love and understanding.ĭuring this month of LGBTQ Pride, let us remember that our movement was forever transformed when transgender, gay, lesbian, and bisexual people at a nightclub chose to resist the violence directed at them. We must not accept the persecution of LGBTQ people as an unchangeable fact of life. We must not accept homophobia as an unchangeable fact of life. We must not accept violence as an unchangeable fact of life. Our religious traditions also teach us to work for justice. Let us not contribute to that brokenness by scapegoating the religious tradition of Islam. It is a testament to the brokenness of humanity that these deaths happened at all.
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It is a testament to the best of humanity that there is already an outpouring of support for the wounded and the dead. Our religious traditions teach us to love one another.