Was Orlando Gunman Motivated by Homophobia? (Video)

@ 2026 Equal Entertainment LLC.
All rights reserved

Was Orlando Gunman Motivated by Homophobia? 
The father of Omar Mateen says seeing two men kissing in Miami a few months ago angered his son and could be what motivated him to kill 50 people and wound 53 others.
 Advocate.com EditorsUPDATED
          
Mar 12, 2019
Advocate.com Editors
 See Full Bio 

        
        FROM OUR SPONSORS
        
    

        
        The Latest
        
    
Opinion
        What is the trans gaze? It's relief and recognition between strangers on a train
    Opinion: In an increasingly hostile world, New York City subway nights become a space where trans women of color keep each other in view and safe.
Arjee Javellana Restar, Phd, Mph
National
        Same-sex couples thrive in U.S. even as GOP support for marriage equality falls
    According to the U.S. Census, a record number of LGBTQ+ couples are living their best lives and society hasn't come to an end despite Republican warnings.
Jacob Ogles
National
        Over her short tenure as Trump’s attorney general, Pam Bondi terrorized LGBTQ+ Americans
    From launching investigations of school athletics to legal demands on health care providers, the Republican lawyer put enormous energy into attacking transgender children.
Jacob Ogles
Opinion
        Thank goodness Pam Bondi’s abhorrent tenure as AG is over
    She spent fifteen years coming for LGBTQ+ people. Now Trump has come for her, writes John Casey
John Casey

        
        More For You
        
        Calpernia Addams ‘shocked’ by Drag Race’s mention of boyfriend’s 1999 murder
    
Desiree Guerrero
Mar 25, 2026
Calpernia Addams; Barry Winchell

        John Sciulli/Getty Images for Los Angeles LGBT Center; The Advocate Archives
    
        On Friday night’s episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 18, the competing queens were assigned the show’s famous “makeover challenge,” in which they’re tasked with putting a random individual into drag to create a family resemblance. This season, the participants to be dragified were some very male-presenting gay cowboys. Keep Reading →

        Remorseless Seattle man sentenced in hate crime beating of trans woman
    
Christopher Wiggins
Mar 14, 2026
Andre Karlow was sentenced to the maximum time in prison for committing a violent hate crime against a transgender woman.

        KOMO
    
        A Seattle man, who said that he hoped President Donald Trump would kill all trans people, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for a violent attack on a transgender woman in the city’s University District. Prosecutors said the case illustrates how harassment can quickly escalate into bias-motivated violence. Keep Reading →

        Many alleged suicides of Black trans women are in fact modern-day lynchings, report finds
    
Christopher Wiggins
Mar 02, 2026
The National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama,  documents and memorializes the more than 4400 victims of racial lynchings that occurred in the United States from 1877 to 1950. 

        Jim West/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
    
        A new report is raising questions about how U.S. law enforcement agencies across the South classify the deaths of transgender women, arguing that some cases ruled suicides may warrant deeper scrutiny. Keep Reading →

        Gay man gunned down outside popular Orlando LGBTQ+ nightclub
    
Christopher Wiggins
Feb 23, 2026
A gay man was shot and killed leaving Savoy Orlando nightclub. 

        GorodenkoffShutterstock
    
        A 33-year-old gay Florida man was shot and killed early Sunday outside the LGBTQ+ nightclub Savoy Orlando, and a suspect has been charged, according to authorities. Keep Reading →

        Puerto Vallarta felt like ‘The Purge,' American says of unrest in Mexican tourist destination
    
Christopher Wiggins
Feb 23, 2026
The Malecon boardwalk in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco state, Mexico.

         Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images
    
        Shortly after mid-morning Sunday, black smoke began rising in staggered columns across the curve of Mexico’s Bay of Banderas, a familiar postcard vista that, by nightfall, had become a horizon of surging unrest. Keep Reading →

        Most Popular
        
News
        25 hilarious reactions to Pam Bondi getting fired despite being Trump's attack dog
    Social media is on fire as people are calling out the former Attorney General's failed alignment with the president.
Ariel Messman-Rucker
National
        How the Kash Patel hack turned a college-linked username into a security warning
    Experts say common online habits, such as reusing identifiers like "spiderkash," can leave even senior government officials vulnerable to exposure.
Christopher Wiggins
News
        25 hilarious reactions to Kristi Noem’s hypocrisy after husband’s cross-dressing fetish leaks
    The anti-LGBTQ+ politician is asking for "privacy," but the internet isn't giving it to her! 
Ariel Messman-Rucker
National
        Pete Buttigieg spotlights ethics concerns about Trump Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy
    “Drain the swamp,” the former transportation secretary said about the cabinet official's financial entanglements.
Christopher Wiggins
Opinion
        Now Kristi Noem wants privacy
    After the former DHS secretary’s husband, Bryon Noem, was accused of having a secret cross-dressing fetish, she no longer wants to be the center of attention, writes Josh Ackley.
Josh Ackley
Opinion
        Once again, a woman takes the fall for an unpopular president
    Opinion: With Pam Bondi's firing, the Trump administration has shown it responds to an outraged public not by altering course but by replacing a woman whose exit will dominate the news cycle. Who's next, Karoline?
Josh Ackley

Site Navigation

Was Orlando Gunman Motivated by Homophobia?

The father of Omar Mateen says seeing two men kissing in Miami a few months ago angered his son and could be what motivated him to kill 50 people and wound 53 others.

The Latest

What is the trans gaze? It's relief and recognition between strangers on a train

Opinion: In an increasingly hostile world, New York City subway nights become a space where trans women of color keep each other in view and safe.

Same-sex couples thrive in U.S. even as GOP support for marriage equality falls

According to the U.S. Census, a record number of LGBTQ+ couples are living their best lives and society hasn't come to an end despite Republican warnings.

Over her short tenure as Trump’s attorney general, Pam Bondi terrorized LGBTQ+ Americans

From launching investigations of school athletics to legal demands on health care providers, the Republican lawyer put enormous energy into attacking transgender children.

Thank goodness Pam Bondi’s abhorrent tenure as AG is over

She spent fifteen years coming for LGBTQ+ people. Now Trump has come for her, writes John Casey

LGBTQ+ stories deserve to betold.

Shots fired at Myrtle Beach gay nightclub, one detained

The brutal 1990 murder of a gay porn star was solved with the help of an old 'Advocate' article

22 Terrifying Sexual Fantasies That Must Be Talked About

How a 'trans panic' defense changed the outcome of two murders

Gay drag artist murdered in Virginia shooting

More For You

Calpernia Addams ‘shocked’ by Drag Race’s mention of boyfriend’s 1999 murder

Remorseless Seattle man sentenced in hate crime beating of trans woman

Many alleged suicides of Black trans women are in fact modern-day lynchings, report finds

Gay man gunned down outside popular Orlando LGBTQ+ nightclub

Puerto Vallarta felt like ‘The Purge,' American says of unrest in Mexican tourist destination

Most Popular

How the Kash Patel hack turned a college-linked username into a security warning

Experts say common online habits, such as reusing identifiers like "spiderkash," can leave even senior government officials vulnerable to exposure.

25 hilarious reactions to Kristi Noem’s hypocrisy after husband’s cross-dressing fetish leaks

The anti-LGBTQ+ politician is asking for "privacy," but the internet isn't giving it to her!

Pete Buttigieg spotlights ethics concerns about Trump Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy

“Drain the swamp,” the former transportation secretary said about the cabinet official's financial entanglements.

Now Kristi Noem wants privacy

After the former DHS secretary’s husband, Bryon Noem, was accused of having a secret cross-dressing fetish, she no longer wants to be the center of attention, writes Josh Ackley.

Once again, a woman takes the fall for an unpopular president

Opinion: With Pam Bondi's firing, the Trump administration has shown it responds to an outraged public not by altering course but by replacing a woman whose exit will dominate the news cycle. Who's next, Karoline?

Latest Stories

Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week.

Was Orlando Gunman Motivated by Homophobia?

The father of Omar Mateen says seeing two men kissing in Miami a few months ago angered his son and could be what motivated him to kill 50 people and wound 53 others.

FROM OUR SPONSORS

The Latest

Opinion: In an increasingly hostile world, New York City subway nights become a space where trans women of color keep each other in view and safe.

According to the U.S. Census, a record number of LGBTQ+ couples are living their best lives and society hasn't come to an end despite Republican warnings.

From launching investigations of school athletics to legal demands on health care providers, the Republican lawyer put enormous energy into attacking transgender children.

She spent fifteen years coming for LGBTQ+ people. Now Trump has come for her, writes John Casey

LGBTQ+ stories deserve to betold.

More For You

Most Popular

Social media is on fire as people are calling out the former Attorney General's failed alignment with the president.

Experts say common online habits, such as reusing identifiers like "spiderkash," can leave even senior government officials vulnerable to exposure.

The anti-LGBTQ+ politician is asking for "privacy," but the internet isn't giving it to her!

“Drain the swamp,” the former transportation secretary said about the cabinet official's financial entanglements.

After the former DHS secretary’s husband, Bryon Noem, was accused of having a secret cross-dressing fetish, she no longer wants to be the center of attention, writes Josh Ackley.

Opinion: With Pam Bondi's firing, the Trump administration has shown it responds to an outraged public not by altering course but by replacing a woman whose exit will dominate the news cycle. Who's next, Karoline?