It needs to stop.

A tragedy happened this weekend. Hate crime, again, showed its very ugly face. I am talking about the shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In the United States of America. Five people were killed and another 18 (some sources say 17 or 19) were injured by a lone gunman, a 22-year-old local. Club Q is an LGBTQ club. Local police say they don’t know if this was a hate crime. This stuns me, a little. Intended or not, walking into an LGBTQ-safe place, on the eve of Trans remembrance day, and starting to shoot people, is a hate crime.

I could write miles of text about the gun laws in America, the hate groups, or anything else that compels any individual to think they have the right to injure and kill others, solely based on who they love. I will not do so but focus on the love part.

Who we love is of no business to anyone except the ones in the relationship. The only thing I can add to this is that I don’t condone any relations where one partner gets hurt in any way and of course not relations between adults and kids.

The fact that we, in 2022, still need safe places for LGBTQ people, is staggering. The fact that we, in 2022 still have 65+ countries that consider being gay a criminal act is perplexing. The fact that we, in 2022 have 11 countries where homosexuality is punishable by death is just plain wrong. It’s just love, my fellow human beings. People who cherish each other and want to be together. I cannot grasp how that is so threatening.

”-But you live in Stockholm, Roine. Known to be one of the most open cities in the world”.
Yes, I do. But I also consider myself to be a citizen of the world. And this world is scaring me more and more. I will NOT let that fear make me go silent when it comes to equality. I will NOT let that fear make me back down when it comes to human basic rights. I will NOT let that fear dictate how to live my life. I will, however, let that fear fuel my passion for how I want the world to work and I will let it give me the energy to argue against bigotry and hate. I am a proud member of the LGBTQ movement. I will NEVER let the threats of bigoted people shut me up. Given the chance, neither should YOU.