Faculty and staff from four different on-campus groups at George Mason University are ready and waiting for students, should they want to discuss the mass shootings at an Orlando gay nightclub early on June 12.
Ric Chollar, associate director of George Mason’s LGBTQ Resources, said he understands that many students may not be ready to talk about it now, because the attacks just happened, but he and the staff from Mason’s Counseling and Psychological Services, the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Multicultural Education (ODIME), and Women and Gender Studies Program are all here to help.
Mason LGBTQ students who are away from campus for the summer may wish to talk, but may feel they can’t if they are in what they feel is an unwelcoming environment, he said.
“We encourage students to get in touch if they do feel isolated,” Chollar said.
People who aren’t members of the communities affected by the mass shooting should try to understand that those who are LGBTQ, Muslim, Latino or from two or more of those communities may not be prepared to discuss what happened, Chollar added.
No vigils or special events to mourn the tragedy are planned at Mason at this time, said Amena Johnson, director of ODIME.
“Students guide what we do, and right now there aren’t a lot of students [on campus],” she said. “We’ll let the students take the lead when they return.”
Both Johnson and Chollar suggest students support community vigils for the victims and other events.
On June 16, Mason’s Pride Alliance, TQ Mason, and Arrows and Aces, all LGBTQ student groups at the university, released a joint statement on the Orlando shooting.
Chollar said he has posted information on his personal Facebook page for those wondering how they can help.
Johnson volunteered at the Capital Pride festival in Washington, D.C., and spoke to a few students there after the news of the tragedy broke.
“One student said, ‘I’m here. I don’t think staying away is the thing to do,’” she said.
Chollar, who also attended Capital Pride and volunteered at the Mason LGBTQ Resource booth, said he saw different reactions to the Orlando attacks.
“Some of us in recent years have become more safe about expressing their own sexuality,” he said. “I think this was a rude flashback to other times.”
Others have never felt safe, Chollar added.
Johnson said the attacks made her question how safe she felt at Capital Pride.
“I tried to force myself to stay. I was like, ‘I can’t be afraid’ but I said, ‘I don’t feel safe. Not everyone here may be a friend.’”
“Some people never feel safe because of their racial or gender identity. [They] live with that level of fear all the time and constantly ask, ‘Can I trust my surroundings?’” she said.
Because the attacks involved so many different identities it’s important not to pit one group against another, Chollar said.
“It’s time for us to be in solidarity with one another,” he added.