[pullquote align=right] You cannot stop us from playing music, dancing, loving, celebrating, kissing, and being ourselves.
[/pullquote]I will not be fooled by news sites investigating your name and family. I will not be distracted by such nonsense. I don’t need any mention of foreign wars to know that you’re a terrorist.

You’re a terrorist, all right. A home grown American terrorist, trying to strike fear in the hearts of peaceful people because of your own hateful agenda. You brought an arsenal into a place full of civilians and opened fire, killing 50 people and causing physical and emotional injury to thousands more, all because you didn’t like the sight of two men kissing.

When you attacked a gay night club during Pride month, you attacked something holy. You attacked a sanctuary–a place where people find peace and acceptance, a place where people are embraced for who they are, a place where people find love.

But your terrorism will not stop us.

You cannot stop us from playing music, dancing, loving, celebrating, kissing, and being ourselves.

[pullquote align=left] You cannot stop people everywhere from becoming more comfortable with LGBTQ love.
[/pullquote]You cannot stop me from welcoming secular people and people of all religions and cultures to celebrate with me and inviting them to come to parties with me.

You cannot stop people everywhere, religious and secular, from becoming more comfortable with seeing expressions of LGBTQ love.

Every day there are more youth realizing that love is love, regardless of gender. Every day there are more youth questioning artificial barriers placed between love and faith. Every day there are more queer clergy and spiritual leaders in all religions, including yours, and including mine. And every day these spiritual leaders prove that love is love, that there should be no barrier between queer love and opportunities for religious practice. There is no excuse for violence against our community, no excuse for your attempt to terrorize us into not existing.

You cannot stop us. Whatever your goal was, you failed. Your hateful actions will be drowned out by our love and our pride, by our beautiful and supportive communities. You can hurt our bodies, but our communities are strong and resilient. We will heal, and we will come back stronger, braver, and fiercer than ever. You cannot stop us, and you cannot stop love.

[pullquote align=right] You cannot stop us, and you cannot stop love.
[/pullquote]Happy Shavuot, everyone. Let us study peace fiercely.