That explosion you just heard was the LGBT narrative about how the Orlando nightclub shooting was a “hate crime” and not an act of terrorism.
After more than a month of investigating, the FBI has failed to find any evidence that the Orlando nightclub shooter, Omar Mateen, harbored any hate for gays and said that his act of terrorism had nothing to do with the club being a hangout for gay people.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, people were coming out of the woodwork claiming Mateen was gay, that he visited the Pulse nightclub on several occasions, and that he used gay dating apps to meet people.
The FBI has been unable to confirm any of that.
Soon after the shooting in the early morning of June 12, top U.S officials such as the FBI director and U.S. attorney general described it as both a hate crime and an act of Islamic terrorism. The shooting rattled the gay community, which felt singled out by Mateen.
“People often act out of more than one motivation,” Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch said in the days after the attack. “This was clearly an act of terror and an act of hate.”
A month later, though, a complete picture of what motivated Mateen remains murky and may never be known since he was killed in a shootout with police and did not leave a manifesto. Officials said there is no evidence thus far that Mateen, 29, was gay or that his attack was motivated by homophobia.
The assessment is based on interviews and an examination of his computer and other electronic media.
After the attack, speculation surfaced that Mateen was gay as people came forward to say they had seen him at the club previously and had contact with him on gay dating apps. One man told the Spanish-language television network Univision that he had slept with Mateen.
Even Mateen’s first wife, Sitora Yusufiy, raised the possibility that Mateen was possibly gay but conceded it was a suspicion and nothing more. His current wife did not think he was gay, according to a person familiar with the case.
The FBI, however, has been unable to verify that Mateen used gay dating apps and instead has found evidence that Mateen was cheating on his wife with other women.
Officials said there is nothing to suggest that he attempted to cover up his tracks by deleting files. They also added he did not make gay slurs during the shooting spree inside the club, based on witnesses.
Recall that groups raised money off the narrative that this was a hate crime, and that some people gained notoriety as a result of their “expert” commentary on how hate for homosexuals enabled the shooter. Note also how politicians fell all over themselves in trying to deflect attention from the nature of the attack as an act of Islamic terror to one of homophobia as a primary motivation.
The false narrative shouldn’t take away from the sorrow we feel for the loss of life. But when does the truth matter? The LGBT community will never relinquish control of the original narrative because it brings them sympathy and furthers their political agenda. Omar Mateen will always be seen as a self-loathing gay man who hated his fellow gays and was encouraged in his despicable act of violence by the homophobia around him.
This is one case where the truth shouldn’t even bother getting out of bed, much less lacing up its shoes to try and catch a lie that won’t die.
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