Home » » Gay & Lesbian Issues » September 11, 2001

September 11, 2001

© eve

As you all know, on Tuesday, September 11, 2001, New York, USA was struck by terrorism. This was a horrible act that will never be forgotten. Too often we consider ourselves invincible, and this atrocity has really opened our eyes. It is believed that an Arab terrorist group committed this crime. As soon as I read that, I cringed. I know several Arab-Americans and American Moslems, and I knew that this wouldn’t be an easy time for them. As soon as I went online the next day, I could see it had already started. Someone screamed that we should deport all the Arabs back to their own country. Another said that we needed to burn down all the mosques. Meanwhile, American Arabs (some of whom have been in this country for generations) were desperately trying to defend themselves, reminding people that the Moslem community did NOT support the terrorist acts, and that they were just as American as the next person. It made me wonder…if these acts had been committed by a black terrorist group, would I be a victim of the same racial taunts and slurs that I’m seeing in the Arab American community? I have a Moslem friend who’s taking the semester off because of the terrorism. She went to school on Wednesday, and someone spit on her. She’s as American as I am, and has done nothing wrong. As a matter of fact, she lost one of her friends who was working in the World Trade Center on Tuesday. Is her pain less valid because of her ethnicity? My point is this: Many of you are Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender. As such, you’ve probably been the target of discrimination. Even if you’re not GLBT, maybe someone’s discriminated against you because you were a woman, or Asian, or male, or white, or for any reason. It’s not fair, and it’s not right. We’ve all been affected by this tragedy. Acting out against other Americans is not the answer. Causing pain will not alleviate our own. Let’s all devote our time to helping each other through this tragedy. Donate blood, or volunteer your services. Help console family and friends that have lost people they love. Don’t use this as an excuse for extreme nationalism or revenge against other innocents. To the victims of Tuesday’s tragedy, and their family and friends, I extend my deepest condolences. My heart is with you all.