If his father is to be believed, terrorist Omar Mateen wasn’t driven by fundamentalist zeal or any kind of religious ideology when he murdered fifty people and wounded dozens of others at a gay club in Orlando early Sunday morning.
Related: Around The World, Powerful Tributes To Pulse Victims Reaffirm Love
Instead, his actions were a direct response to his disgust and discomfort upon witnessing two gay men kissing in downtown Miami several months back.
Related: Conservative Wingnuts Waste No Time Using Orlando Tragedy To Further Political Agendas
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
In light of this revelation, social media channels have been lighting up with hundreds of photos of men and women engaged in lip locks with members of their same sex. These hashtag campaigns– #TwoMenKissing and #TwoWomenKissing — are a direct response to the attacker’s motivations, and a strong antidote to the legions of right-wing bigots and terroristic trolls taking to Twitter to excitedly praise Mateen’s actions. (Thought Catalog does a troubling roundup of such messages here.)
We’ll be presenting several of the hundreds of photographs being shared on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram throughout the week.
Here’s the first collection:
#TwoMenKissing Spread the Love pic.twitter.com/7WnOyKkgC4
— Arthus Nicolas (@arthusandnico) June 13, 2016
The world needs more love today, not more hate #Orlando #TwoMenKissing pic.twitter.com/JBGldkvgnI
— Skye Joseph Bartlett (@one_last_look) June 13, 2016
If #twoMenKissing was the #Orlando shooter’s motive, then let this be every hater’s conditioning therapy. pic.twitter.com/OG52gCA20Z
— Theo Bleckmann (@Theo_Bleckmann) June 13, 2016
“Love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love.” ?????? #Orlando #TwoMenKissing pic.twitter.com/so4ht5q7gr
— Grant Morrow (@RealGrantMorrow) June 13, 2016
My husband & I at wedding reception, 2008. If you don’t like this, you’re like a terrorist. Congrats. #twomenkissing pic.twitter.com/8TslauuyKG
— Jon Collins (@jeezjon) June 13, 2016
Time for a concealed permit. pic.twitter.com/x4lcteDDwT
— Atheist Fag w/a Gun (@fag_gun) June 13, 2016
Seeing #TwoMenKissing should never be an excuse for violence or bigotry. It should warm our romantic hearts 🙂 pic.twitter.com/xrthrK3vyk
— Stephen Wood (@StephenWood_UK) June 13, 2016
Let’s fight terrorism all night long… ? #twowomenkissing #twomenkissing #orlando pic.twitter.com/aXrC2BOwHv
— pauline hillier OlO (@pauline_hillier) June 13, 2016
Important today to share images of #TwoMenKissing so I dug this out from the vault: my wedding day pic.twitter.com/06RhAHfko6
— Walter Wittich (@WalterWittich) June 13, 2016
can’t just show the guys! #TwoWomenKissing #LoveConquersHate pic.twitter.com/OtXN4x9zB2
— TamaraMableyChaisson (@tamarajai) June 13, 2016
#TwoWomenKissing #TwoMenKissing so why not #TransKissing too, all for #LoveForOrlando cause #LoveIsLove https://t.co/IvZAp26gmB
— LDH (@Dawn_One) June 13, 2016
#TwoMenKissing #Orlando #Pulse pic.twitter.com/WQbEmkP4Rg
— Tony Clements (@tonebobb) June 12, 2016
Life should be beautiful and love should forever be celebrated above hate and bigotry #TwoMenKissing pic.twitter.com/AYh2cYiDz6
— Carl Fearn (@carljfearn) June 13, 2016
#twomenkissing Photo of Patrick Cowley and Jorge Socarras pic.twitter.com/enKRhPbRzb
— Dark Entries Records (@darkentriesrecs) June 12, 2016
Or how about #peoplekissingpeople! #OrlandoStrong #loveislove #twowomenkissing #twomenkissing pic.twitter.com/r9xkvMSAue
— Corinne M. REALTOR (@RECorinne) June 13, 2016
#TwoMenKissing … Best way I know how to respond today. With love. #orlando pic.twitter.com/WLVCN6b45d
— Carl Sciortino (@carlsciortino) June 13, 2016
Me and @MsNatalieWest. #gaysbreaktheinternet #twowomenkissing #loveislove pic.twitter.com/XgLCucVqwC
— Justine Cross (@Justineplays) June 12, 2016
If #TwoMenKissing is now an act of defiance, activism has never been so pleasant pic.twitter.com/BDOz9mYwhI
— Wouter S van Dijke (@WoutervD) June 13, 2016
davenbill
Hetero homophobes find 2 men kissing disgusting but 2 women kissing gets their rocks off–go figure.
Stache
@davenbill: Women don’t actually have lust for each other. It’s only an invitation for the hetero guys. Snark.
If you can appreciate the beauty of two women getting it on then it only makes sense that two men doing the same thing is just as natural.
JamJewel
@davenbill: True of str8 guys of every ilk!
Billy Budd
There is nothing more beautiful than a scene of two men kissing. It should melt the heart of any straight man.
Paul Nadolski
I love how two heterosexuals just about having sex on the train or on the bus is OK but two guys holding hands is “flaunting it”.
I have walked hand-in-hand with a guy at the Mall of America and in the Chicago Loop. And I intend to keep on doing so with the next guy I date.
Marky
This has nothing to do with women other than the friends and mothers of the victims. Please don’t use this tragic event as a personified martyr for the feminist movement. FF SAKES!!!
This is a MEN’S issue. You’re just as bad as the British woman.
Brian
The gunman was not offended by two women kissing. He was offended by two MEN kissing. Women need to stop pretending that the gunman had an equal hatred of the genders when it comes to same-sex kissing. He did not.
I really hate it when women try to hijack victinhood when it’s clear they are not the victims.
silveroracle
If #twoMenKissing was the #Orlando shooter’s motive, then let this be every hater’s conditioning therapy
Totally agree. Keep on kissing. X
ChuckF
The resilience of my community in this time of horror beings tears to my eyes. You are all beautiful people.
Chris
Last night, I forced myself to go to a Tea Dance as my own (small) act of defiance. It may not be as there as two man kissing; but the place was full of gay man, mingling, drinking, and dancing.
gayhope1990
The struggle against homophobia must be global.In 60 countries or so it’s illegal to be gay and 10 or it’s punished to death.Get real the only hope is the secularism and the fight against religious and macho hatred.
fingertrouble
@Brian: And yet he shot 4 of them – intentionally I’m guessing since KJ was the bouncer and probably the first to go. And she was a lesbian.
Or are you going to claim that was accidental? Nope, doubt the bullets had ‘For Gay Men Only’ on them.
Alistair Wiseman
Two men kissing? Oh yeah, that’ll really show them.
While we’re at it – let’s all hold hands and sing Kumbaya. That will really show those evil, nasty Islamic killers.
Dave Downunder
I find it funny that he was offended by two men kissing when it has been shown that middle eastern men sometimes engage in kissing each other as a sign of affection without any homosexual context. Add that to the fact he has been seen at Pulse several times over the past year it sounds more like internal conflict about his own sexuality.
PTmike
@Brian: It’s a show of solidarity stupid. He hated homosexuality.
PTmike
@Brian: PS – There were women victems too. Pull your head out of your ass.
PTmike
@Brian: PS – There were women victims too. Pull your head out of your ass.
Rob91316
It matters not whether the image of a same-sex couple kissing drives you to murderous rage, or simply causes you a brief moment of offense that you silently keep to yourself. Under either circumstance, you are a bigoted waste of oxygen contaminating humanity with your vile mentality. Make the world a kinder, gentler, more peaceful place by killing yourself NOW!