Today, I came across the news of the brutal and shocking murder of transwoman Dandara dos Santos in Brazil. The filming of her murder, which has gone viral, has led to the arrest of some, but not all, of the perpetrators. The crime, shocking in its ferocity and of taking place in plain sight of residents of the area is sadly, one of hundreds being committed against the global #LGBTQ community every single day.

Whilst I struggle to get my head round the facts of what she was put through, how she begged for her life and the utter fear she must have felt in her last moments, it saddens me further that despite living at a time when people of the rainbow can express themselves freely, come to terms with their sexuality, their gender type and being “different” that there are still those who seek to persecute, harm, humiliate and ultimately kill them.

I ask, what have these people ever done to you? What has caused you to have so much hate in your heart for someone who was born in the wrong body? Boys who grew up and realised they liked other boys instead of girls and vice versa?

I put out a Tweet today that simply says:

If someone is not educated on a subject of which they know little they are ignorant of that subject. Ignorance breeds fear for, if you are ignorant of something, how can you understand it? If you don’t understand it, you begin to fear it, hate grows from that fear. What do people do when they hate something? They attack with no rhyme or reason.

So many perpetrators of these crimes claim to be Christians or of some other religious persuasion and they feel justified because to be #LGBTQ goes against those teachings. Well, hang on a minute, isn’t “God” supposed to be all merciful and forgiving? In Christianity, aren’t we all “God’s Creatures”? If so, shouldn’t we ALL then be treated equally? The hypocrisy of religion and it being used as an excuse to persecute minority, gender or ethnic groups is enough to make my blood boil.

The expression, “that’s so gay” has become a buzzword to be used in a derogatory and insulting way when having a bit of banter. I hear it a lot in my office environment, on social media etc. even in Shaun of the Dead (ok, the script is fiction but, even so). How has a word for sexual orientation become an insult in a day and age when society really should be past all that crap?

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. Education is the key. If our schools adopted a broader approach to sex education, including sexuality, gender identity etc. then surely, kids will grow up with a better attitude towards it and it just becomes part of society’s fabric. If religious people could look past their zealotry and realise that fear and hate just make things worse in society then surely they could live their lives by the better teachings and look past the hypocrisy.

In countries where society is still lagging far behind, I can only hope that the rest of us can set a better example. We need stronger laws to protect the rights of the #LGBTQ community and people need to learn that just because someone is gay, transgender etc., it doesn’t make them a danger to others (why is that such a common misconception?) It smacks of a kind of arrogance when straight men are afraid of gay men. What, do you really think all gay men are dying to get into your y-fronts? I think not.

Take the blinkers off, broaden your mind and educate yourself. If you are one of the lucky ones in this world who doesn’t suffer abuse and persecution then how about lending a helping hand to those who are suffering? You don’t have to go on a Pride March in your best Spandex but allow those people who do to live their lives with as much rights and freedom as you have.

Dedicated to Dandara dos Santos x