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GLAAD Responds to Speculation on Orlando Shooter's Sexuality

GLAAD Responds to Speculation on Orlando Shooter's Sexuality

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"Whether the gunman’s homophobia spurred from hatred of others or hatred of himself, this is homophobia all the same."

In light of the recent massacre in Orlando, reports have begun to surface that the killer, Omar Mateen, may have been gay himself.

His wife lent speculations to claims that he was gay in an interview with the New York Times, while patrons of Pulse told the press that he was a regular at the nightclub, and that he'd used dating apps like Grindr and Jack'd.

Today GLAAD responded to these speculations with a statement from President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis:

Forty-nine innocent people were brutally massacred in an LGBT space - this we know for certain. This atrocity was an attack on the LGBT community, it was an attack on our country, and it was an attack on the core American values of equality and freedom for everyone. Whether the gunman's homophobia spurred from hatred of others or hatred of himself, this is homophobia all the same. And it's sadly just the latest example of homophobia turning to horrific violence, just as it has for decades.

Ellis went on to say:

This hatred for the LGBT community is something that the gunman learned right here at home, not outside our borders. This is the same hatred that led to the murders of over a dozen transgender Americans this year, most of them women of color. This is the same hatred that's been espoused by American lawmakers who have proposed over 100 anti-LGBT bills this year. And this is the same hatred that we all must come together to end once and for all. Acceptance must prevail.

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