Close to Home: From Orlando to Sonoma County, work is still needed Close to Home: From Orlando to Sonoma County, work is still needed

America was deeply affected last week by the killing of 49 young people — mostly LGBTQI, mostly people of color — in Orlando, Fla. It was terrible; it touched on many of Americans' deepest fears. It has also kindled deep compassion.

The outpouring of grief, the candlelight vigils and memorials, the tears — all these are still ongoing.

For people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex or questioning, it felt personal. It could have been us. It could have been anywhere. In a world where we thought we had made so much progress, it suggested to us that we are, ultimately, no safer than decades ago. And that was unnerving.

But it wasn't just LGBTQI people who were affected. In the hundreds of conversations we've had this week, we've seen that the event was painful for people of all genders and sexualities, and the grief has had a distinctly parental quality to it. These kids were so young; just starting out, full of promise. Maybe we all — gay and straight alike — thought that the world had become a kinder place for queer kids. And maybe the fact that we all thought so, it is evidence that it has.

But clearly our work is not yet done. And the work needs to happen not only in Orlando but everywhere, including in Sonoma County.

Many of us feel helpless in the face of this task, but there is much that we all could do. For instance, if you haven't given recently to an organization that supports LGBTQI youth, maybe it's time to give. If you haven't thought that it's your issue, maybe it's time to rethink. If you haven't supplied your children with LGBTQI role models, maybe it's time to invite those people — you know, those ones from church or work or whatever — over for dinner. It is all of our job to expose ourselves to people who are different from us, learn about them, care about them and be cared about in return. That is the county, the country, the world that we want.

Oh, one more thing. And this one will be a pleasure. If you haven't told your children recently that you love them no matter what, and that you just want them to be themselves, and that you'll always have their backs, maybe today is the day.

Could Orlando have been prevented? Who knows? It is difficult to stop a maniac. But maybe we can make it a little harder to become one.

Oren Slozberg is co-chair of the LGBTQI Giving Circle of the Sonoma County Foundation. He lives in Penngrove.

America was deeply affected last week by the killing of 49 young people — mostly LGBTQI, mostly people of color — in Orlando, Fla. It was terrible; it touched on many of Americans' deepest fears. It has also kindled deep compassion.

The outpouring of grief, the candlelight vigils and memorials, the tears — all these are still ongoing.

For people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex or questioning, it felt personal. It could have been us. It could have been anywhere. In a world where we thought we had made so much progress, it suggested to us that we are, ultimately, no safer than decades ago. And that was unnerving.

But it wasn't just LGBTQI people who were affected. In the hundreds of conversations we've had this week, we've seen that the event was painful for people of all genders and sexualities, and the grief has had a distinctly parental quality to it. These kids were so young; just starting out, full of promise. Maybe we all — gay and straight alike — thought that the world had become a kinder place for queer kids. And maybe the fact that we all thought it is evidence that it has.

But clearly our work is not yet done. And the work needs to happen not only in Orlando, but everywhere, including in Sonoma County.

Many of us feel helpless in the face of this task, but there is much that we all could do. For instance, if you haven't given recently to an organization that supports LGBTQI youth, maybe it's time to give. If you haven't thought that it's your issue, maybe it's time to rethink. If you haven't supplied your children with LGBTQI role models, maybe it's time to invite those people — you know, those ones from church or work or whatever — over for dinner. It is all of our job to expose ourselves to people who are different from us, learn about them, care about them and be cared about in return. That is the county, the country, the world that we want.

Oh, one more. And this one will be a pleasure. If you haven't told your children recently that you love them no matter what, and that you just want them to be themselves, and that you'll always have their backs, maybe today is the day.

Could Orlando have been prevented? Who knows? It is difficult to stop a maniac. But maybe we can make it a little harder to become one.

Oren Slozberg is co-chair of the LGBTQI Giving Circle of the Sonoma County Foundation. He lives in Penngrove.