“I’ve never been ‘out’. But today I stand proudly and publicly with my siblings of all genders around the world.” LGBT people tell BuzzFeed News why the massacre prompted them to speak out.

This is Ashley Connick. He's a 28-year-old lawyer, who lives in the United Arab Emirates with his wife of three years. Yesterday, shortly after the Orlando attack, he came out as bisexual.

Instagram

"Looking at the news yesterday made me so profoundly sad about the invasion of the sanctity of a safe place," said Connick. "And it made me feel as though it was really important for a little bit more visibility and for people to understand that everybody needs to be safe, and that everywhere there are people who are affected and who are part of this community."

He added that he wanted to convey the idea that the LGBT community "is bigger and wider" than many realise, to stop "bigots being able to marginalise the community".

The mass murder in the early hours of Sunday morning of 50 people in the LGBT Pulse nightclub in Orlando triggered a deep response in Connick. "I felt so connected to it, that I thought it was time."

He said wanted to make it known that "I felt more connected than perhaps would have been immediately apparent".

He posted this picture on Instagram, too, with the words "Truly saddened by the senseless killings in #Orlando".

instagram.com

---

View Entire List ›