I was taken aback by Monday’s front page headline on the story of Sunday’s massacre in Orlando (“Orlando gunman pledged allegiance to ISIS”). While the full picture is incomplete, it is abundantly clear that this act was first and foremost an egregious act of homophobia and racism wrapped in a cloak of ISIS allegiance. I am sorry that the Recorder failed to recognize this. In addition, the shooter’s ex-wife has stated that he was mentally ill and physically abusive. And, as we know, the shooter purchased deadly assault weapons on the open market in a perfectly legal act. So I suggest that a more appropriate headline for the article would have highlighted the role that homophobia, racism, mental illness, and our rampant gun culture played in the Orlando massacre.
Ruth Bowman
Conway