As a proud member of the LBGTQ family I wish to send a heartfelt thanks to the citizens of Lake County who attended the vigil for the victims and their families regarding the Pulse massacre in Orlando.

I am 73 years old and am still waiting for the world to become as one.

When will hate take a back seat to love? When will the hate mongers realize they are misguided and are setting a bad example for our children? Children raised to hate will hate, that is a given. But what is there about the LBGTQ family that fosters hate so ugly innocent people had to die?

I say to the religious right, if your God is a just God, if Jesus welcomed anyone into his flock then why are you so afraid of us and why do you push hate not love?

Orlando is now another scar on America. And still we can't seem to silence the guns.

Here is an interesting statistic, if for one day all of the LBGTQ community in all of the helping professions stayed home from work, this county would not be able to function.

Teachers, doctors, nurses, social workers, counselors, mental health workers – just to mention a few professions – are made up of not just straight people.

You know the olive branch is not that hard to extend, just try it sometime, you may be surprised to find out despite differences in sexual preferences, we are all human beings. Why is my loving someone diminished by ignorance?

I am proud to say I am a member of the Lake County community, let's move forward in love and bury hate 100 feet under.

Sue Williams lives in Kelseyville, Calif.