Friends and family members embrace outside the Orlando Police Headquarters during the investigation of a shooting at the Pulse nightclub, where people were killed by a gunman, in Orlando, Florida, U.S June 12, 2016. REUTERS/Steve Nesius – RTX2FRIU

Source: RNS

By Yonat Shimron

(RNS) One year after the Supreme Court ruled that gays can legally marry across the country, and at a time when most polls show a majority of Americans support LGBT equality, the mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., shocked many Americans who had begun to take gay rights for granted.

Not only did the shootings at the Pulse nightclub occur during Pride month, when LGBT people and supporters across the U.S. celebrate the gains they have made toward equality, they also took place at a gay club — historically a safe gathering place for LGBT people, especially back when no other establishments would welcome them.

Suspected gunman Omar Mateen, 29, was armed with an assault-type weapon and a handgun when he opened fire at the Pulse nightclub, killing 50 people. Mateen, who was killed in a shootout with police, was born in the U.S. to parents who emigrated from Afghanistan.

The New York Times reported that Mateen called 911 shortly before the attacks and pledged allegiance to ISIS.

But Mateen’s father, Mir Seddique, said his son was not driven by religious ideology. Instead, he said, Mateen seemed upset after seeing two gay men kissing in Miami a few months ago.

If there was one message in the massacre, it seemed to be that LBGT people are still not safe, and that religious teachings — or at least a narrow reading of them — may be a contributing factor to hatred against gays.

Religious leaders from Pope Francis to the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations sharply condemned the shooting.

The Vatican’s spokesperson, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said Pope Francis shares in the victims’ “indescribable suffering” and “he entrusts them to the Lord so they may find comfort.”

Muslim groups also condemned the killings.

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