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To Love or Hate: Many in LGBTQ Community to Look Out for Muslims
Following the worst mass shooting in American history, University of Georgia associate professor Anneliese Singh notes that this type of tragedy can have a unifying effect on a community that has already seen turmoil. Whether it's through religious zealotry or debates over the use of a bathroom, the gay, lesbian, transgender, and queer populations have a resiliency that comes from decades of finding each other and learning the value of solidarity.

"Already we are seeing queer and transgender people turning to their communities not only to grieve, but also to be reminded of the inherent value they have as human beings and the inner and collective strengths the community has," Singh says. "LGBTQ people, like many marginalized groups, know how to bounce back after oppressive acts. So many people within and outside of the community are talking about the choice to love or to hate after this tragedy, and more than ever we are seeing family members and communities outside of the LGBTQ community stand up for love and the rights of LGBTQ people. This is why you are seeing many queer and transgender people look out for their Muslim communities in the midst of this event, as they know this event will inspire further Islamophobia and that hate has no boundaries."

Singh, a cofounder of the Georgia Safe Schools Coalition and Trans Resilience Project, researches and advocates on the resiliency of transgender people, transgender people of color, transgender youth, survivors of trauma, immigrants and social justice and empowerment training. She teaches in the master's and doctoral counseling programs at the University of Georgia College of Education.
Source: University of Georgia