Photo: @wildlittlethingsphoto on Unsplash

It’s been a year since the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, and as we remember the lives lost, we must also remember that both homophobia and Islamophobia still run rampant not only in the United States but also all over the world.

Now that we find ourselves in an administration that boxes people up into stereotypes, the Pulse Shooting should be a reminder that generalizations, misjudgments, and wrongful misconnections are dangerous. Remembering the lives in Orlando should open the doors to dialogue on how we can avoid rampant hate and break down the same barrier that makes us judge others.

Creating truly intersectional spaces (ones that place all issues on the same platform instead of in a hierarchy) for support during a time where many minorities are being attacked from all sides is now more important than ever. Often it is assumed that issues such as Islamophobia and homophobia are separate from each other, that they run in different circles when in reality being phobic of differences is rooted in the same thing: being scared of the other.

If people watch out for each other, it might make it easier to break down the structural walls that keep minorities apart from each other and their oppressor. Understating the struggle of another group is crucial in ending systems of violent oppression.

The need to stand stronger together, and consider the agendas of all marginalized peoples, is more important now than ever.