OVER the past few centuries, persons identified as LBGT were often ostracized, ridiculed and feared, as they were thought to be unnatural. While a large number of persons still feel this way concerning that minority group, that number has been significantly diminished over the past decades, as advances in public acceptance have largely been made.

It is these advances which saw the world being shocked, last Sunday, when media reports surfaced of the mass shooting at a popular gay bar in Orlando, which left 49 persons dead and 53 injured, making it the largest mass shooting in U.S history. This act has reminded the world that despite its many advances, bigotry and unadulterated hate still fester, even in the most tolerant of societies.

Speculations regarding the reasons behind the shootings have been countless, and have ranged from Islamic extremism to self-loathing, as the shooter was said to have been struggling with an identity he has long since been conditioned to hate.

Regardless of the reasons behind this tragedy, the fact is that it was an attack on the lives and liberties of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals not only in the U.S, but also around the world.

Here, in Guyana, sympathy and words of collective condemnation have been so overwhelming that even those who express the view that the gunman had done the right thing in carrying out such brutal murders are being challenged regarding their homophobia. The hard truth, however, that words of condemnation against anti-gay rhetoric are not enough, is something which seems to be lost upon the majority. Whether addressed or not, homophobia is learnt from childhood, ranging from a strict sense of gender roles to anti-gay rhetoric touted by society’s leaders.

Several of the countries’ leaders have, in various sections of the media, been heard condemning the murders and calling for tolerance and acceptance of the LGBT community. This is despite no substantial effort being made to protect those belonging to the LBGT group here, and removing outdated legislation that make criminals out of otherwise law-abiding citizens.

While Guyana has never had such a mass violence against LBGT persons, there has, over the years, been a continuous rise in violent attacks against homosexual men, particularly those who are transgender; and those attacks have often resulted in death.

Despite the deaths of these men, public response to these murders has been miniscule at best, with only a selective few seeing the clear trend of hate-driven crimes that was forming.

The years 2013-2015 saw these targeted murders rising, but the public largely remained oblivious, and even the police force did not seem to see the significance in the crimes, nor the need to actively pursue and solve them.

In 2014, a march was organised against the slothful way in which the police were investigating murders of several homosexual men, with several citing the reasons for sloth as being trans-phobia and homophobia deeply ingrained within the psyche of the police officers.

If nothing else, the Orlando tragedy has offered us at home and abroad the opportunity to confront the often unchallenged anti-gay rhetoric and actions touted and carried out by friends, family members and acquaintances. When these views remain unchallenged, all they serve to do is contribute to the acceptance of hatred and violence against those in whom their distaste lies.

Too often, these messages of hate are allowed to seep into the minds of our children. We, as a country, must collectively aim to resist the forces of division and denounce the unnecessary draconian anti-gay legislation which just serve to breed intolerance and hate. Regardless of what religion one belongs to, efforts should be made to ensure harmful ideologies which discriminate against any group are not adopted.