Malcom Golightley

Editorial: Daring to Speak Out

When we commented on the Brussels bombings in Issue 3, we did not imagine that further shocking violence would be in the forefront of our minds only a few months later. Two horrific events in recent weeks have brought tragedy to the lives of individuals and families and forced into public consciousness issues of principle which lie at their heart. The mass shootings in the early hours of Sunday 12 June in an LGBT and Latino night club in Orlando, Florida, resulting in the deaths of at least fifty people, is said to constitute the worst such incident in American history. The complex circumstances surrounding it and the motivations of the gunman are the subject of both formal enquiry and continuing media speculation, and we do not seek to add to that speculation, although it is likely it was specifically targeted based on sexuality and race. The story of an American of Afghan descent killing large numbers of queer, Latino and Hispanic people has yet to be fully told. What emerge clearly, however, are the complexities in daily living and social insecurities that persist for people whose sexual orientation is anything other than heterosexual. Equally, what has resounded around the world in response to this local horror is solidarity with the victims and those they leave behind, not just from the global gay community, but from people in all quarters of society who believe that the best way to respond to terror in its various manifestations is to stand shoulder to shoulder with those who suffer. As shocking as the news of the shootings has been, the images of dignified acts of remembrance and resistance are even more powerful.