Queer Straight Alliance Has Bozeman Vigil to Honor Orlando Night Club Victims

(Readers: Before I start, let me say I do not like using the word "queer." I have seen too many of my friends fighting NOT to be called that. Some gays are not happy about the use of that word to describe them)

This past Monday, a vigil was held at the Gallatin County Courthouse to remember the 49 people who died because of a terrorist attack. The candlelight vigil for the people who were murdered at a gay night club in Orlando, Florida last year was put together by the Queer Straight Alliance.  This Montana State University student group held a vigil in Bozeman a year ago and raised over $400.

The Queer Straight Alliance is working with the Honor Them With Action Fund, and it is not too late to make a contribution Click Here to Give

According to the GoFundMe page:

With the help of GoFundMe and 120,000+ individuals around the world, we raised over $9.5 million dollars for the survivors and victims’ families.

But the scheduled vigil is not for money. It's to let the world know people to get together and share their pain. I talked about this on my radio show this morning. I expected Bozeman listeners to call in and talk about their feelings.

While the organization putting on this event is called the Queer Straight Alliance, this terrorist attack last year wasn't about gays being killed; it was about Americans being killed. I know the terrorists think killing gays, honor killing of women, cutting the heads off Jews is something God wants. But as humans beings, how could people behave like this? I wanted this horrible event to bring us together. After the mass murder in Orlando, people around America were saying, posting and tweeting: "I Am Orlando!"

"Hi, you're on the air," I took my first caller.

"Dominick, you need to be mature. Stop using the terms 'gay' or 'queer.' They are sodomites. You have heard of Sodom? God destroyed them."

"You are happy these people were killed?" I asked, wondering if I should hang up or let him talk. Free speech.

"No, Dominick, I didn't say that. God destroyed them. If my son was a sodomite, I would throw him out. The Bible says we must shun the sodomite."

I was unconformable with the word "queer," now it sounded a lot better than sodomite. I shot back; "Yea, that was true, maybe, in the Old Testament. I thought Jesus died for our sins. Didn't his death on the cross change everything? We are now forgiven."

Am I out of touch? I thought the vigil was a good thing. Such hate from a caller. I really don't want my show to be a place to spread hate.

I went on... "Caller you're on the air"

It happened. Listeners called in to make sure I knew they disagreed with the first caller.

One women said, "I am not gay, I have gay friends, and that guy is wrong."

Another caller: "Dominick, you're right, the new testament changed everything."

Another caller: "What people do in private is their own business. That guy was filled with hate."

What my first caller did, by attacking gay people and seemingly not caring about the 49 gay people who were murdered in Orlando, Florida, what he did was bring people together.

Free speech sometimes isn't pretty, but it has a way of letting us see the truth. When you hear someone filled with hate and judgement like that, as strange as it seems, it makes us stronger.

A terrorist act in Orlando brings people together in Bozeman to show support for the victims.

Dominick