New revelations reveal that Orlando shooter Omar Mateen may have been motivated by more than just homophobia and religion. Several people have described seeing Mateen as many as a dozen times at the gay-friendly nightclub where he'd later embark on the single worst gun massacre in modern American history.
Speculations are now swirling about the gunman’s sexuality.
Arshad Khan, a gay, Muslim filmmaker who has made Montreal his home said he knows how hard it can be to come out.
“It sounds like a seriously repressed homosexual man,” he said.
His upcoming documentary ABU speaks to the challenge of being gay and Muslim.
“You see when you're a queer person, there are two ways you can go,” Khan explained. “You can go toward embracing your identity, or you can go toward hiding.”
The president of the Canadian Muslim Forum, Samer Majzoub, believes that even if Mateen may have been hiding his sexual orientation, religion had nothing to do with his actions.
“The fact that we look at the shooter’s conviction and religion and to report that he's a Muslim, is in itself very troubling. We don’t see this in other incidents,” said Majzoub.
He said all religions have issues with homosexuality, however none condone taking a life.
“We have to differentiate between taking a position toward an issue and condemning to kill!” he said. “It's a very different story.”
According to Maryse Bezaire of Montreal gay help line Gai Écoute, if Mateen did visit the Pulse bar, and if he perused gay websites, acceptance is what's most difficult of all.
“A good part of calls are from people who are having difficulties accepting who they are, their sexual orientation, or are afraid of reactions from their friends, family and the workplace,” she said.
Some say the issues in this tragedy are not homosexuality or religion, but rather gun violence and mental health.
With files from The Canadian Press
