Intersectionality & Orlando: 4 Things To Consider
The horror of the Orlando shooting was made all the worse by the fact that the targets of the shooter’s rage were already part of marginalized communities. People of color and in the LGBT community are frequently used as scapegoats in this country, and what Orlando shows is that these words have power — and consequences.
This shooter was an American, and like all other Americans, he grew up in a culture that celebrates punching down, perpetrating violence against marginalized communities, with anger as a substitute for civil discourse.
We need to treat the inciting of hate and segregation and discrimination like the violence that it is.
As we regroup and move forward, thinking about the intersectionality of race and sexuality in this terrible tragedy are important because it can help best guide us through the tragedy in the moment, and towards where we need to grow as a culture in the future to be better than we are now.
1.) The shooter drove two hours north specifically to arrive at Pulse.
Orlando has one of the top LGBT populations in the country, it’s not like Pulse was the only gay club within the two-hour driving window the shooter drove. He specifically targeted this place on Latin night.
2.) 90% of the victims killed were Latinos.
They were Mexican, Colombian, Dominican, and Puerto Rican.
3.) The vast majority of LGBT victims of violence are people of color.
According to recent reports, 80% of LGBT people murdered because of who they are come from communities of color. To think that targeting a gay club on Latin night was not intentional is delusional and dangerous.
4.) Some victims have to worry about their immigration status.
Reports indicate that several victims are undocumented, and consequently may not be able to access resources like other victims, and might even face deportation.
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Copyright 2016 by By Sara Inés Calderón.