At the time of writing this article, it has been one week since a madman that I refuse to name, killed 49 innocent people for being at a gay bar in what has been called the most deadly shooting in American history. For many people this was just another tragedy, another moment of silence to be remembered and quickly forgotten, but for the LGBT community this is so much more. As an openly gay writer I feel it my duty to shed more light on this senseless slaughter. For the last few years it looked like our place in American society was growing. Things such as the repeal of ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell”, the prominence of many LGBT icons in our pop culture, and the landmark ruling of the supreme court in favor of marriage equality. Even when opposition such as the South Carolina bathroom bill pop up many important individuals spoke out against the legislation such as classic rock legend Bruce Springsteen, former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and even President Obama himself.  But overnight that all changed when a madman came into the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida and killed 49 people just for coming out to celebrate how far we have come as a society. While many people have tried to relate to us, and how we feel about this uncertain time, it may be too alien of a concept to them. For LGBT people across the globe, this is all too familiar. For years we have worried about being in the wrong neighborhood, or holding hands with the wrong person in such areas. I myself have had to worry about holding hands with my significant other in public, simply because a few outspoken radicals might not like it. While it may seem like the easy answer is to blame Muslims, gun laws, or elected officials; we must avoid such temptations. This man’s motivation lay far beyond religious zeal or the barrel of a gun, this was an attack on all of the hard earned victories our community has gained.  Many of these people may not have even been out with their family, only for them to cope with their orientation as well as their death. This has implications beyond a simple mass shooting, gay men who showed up to give blood to support the community where turned down simply on the basis of their sexual orientation. This antiquated procedure shows how far we still have to go. For the LGBT community, Pulse was far more than a simple gay bar. It was a safe haven, shelter away from a hostile society where they can be themselves without fear. What everyone needs to understand is that this was a hate crime, plain and simple. The gunman purposely chose an LGBT centric nightclub, to ignore this is to ignore all the pain and suffering that happened on that fateful night. One phrase I keep hearing is that it was an “attack on all of us”, but it wasn’t. This was an attack on a minority group because of hate etched into one man’s mind. For every LGBT person we are now looking behind of backs in concern for our own safety. This was a threat on our lives. A clip has gone viral on social media, of openly gay news reporter Anderson Cooper, talking to survivors of the attack. This man has covered war, genocide, terror, and all manor of horrifying events, but he still is visibly holding back tears. This was an attack on his very way of life, a societal bounty on his very life saying that his life doesn’t matter simply because he is gay. For the first time in years, this country is seeing an increase in hate crimes against many minority groups, inspired by an America that is more politically divided than we have seen since McCarthyism. Politicians on all sides of the spectrum are quick to use this as a personal soapbox to advance their campaign. The truth is far more complicated than republican or democrat, this is about all of us and how divided we have let ourselves become. To my readers and fans, especially my fellow brothers and sisters of the LGBT community, I ask you not to let yourselves become divided by hate, now is a time for us to all band together against an issue far more complicated than any religion, any politician or any group of people.