Dateline: June 28

Dateline on SBS tonight looks at racism and homophobia in the US following events in Orlando -but will it prove to be a catalyst for change?

“We are Orlando” is the chant at Louisville’s Pride march just a week after the shootings, with the LGBT community more determined than ever to show its solidarity and defend equal rights.

“There’s a fervour in our country right now, towards racism, towards violence, towards exclusion,” says Chris Hartmann from the Fairness Campaign gay rights group.

“Sadly this tragedy in Orlando might be the impetus that really mobilises and motivates folks to come out, show their support to their elected officials, and actually make some change.”

“[But] people should not have had to have died for the conversation to deepen.”

Away from the thousands of people cheering in support at the Pride parade, most of Kentucky still has no anti-discrimination laws when it comes to LGBT people.

That leaves people like Juju, who’s transitioning from male to female, feeling vulnerable. She was recently confronted by her boss.

“He made it clear that he knew that he could fire me because I was gay or transgender,” she tells Dean. “Legally there was nothing I could do to fight back.”

“He made it clear that I could be killed and someone could use the panic defence, and I would be dead somewhere and someone could get away with that.”

Local Muslim spokesman Dr Muhammad Babar is one of those supporting the Pride march, but he says this election year has divided America, and his community too is feeling the prejudice.

“We have not faced this much hatred and Islamophobia even after the tragedy of 9/11,” he tells Dean.

“I have thought to own a gun a few times, and quite honestly it comes across my mind repeatedly, but then I believe this is not the solution.”

And some say it’s society, not the guns, that’s to blame for the Orlando shooting.

“Why isn’t everybody pissed off at Obama, and the Justice Department, and the FBI, and every law enforcement official that let this guy fall through the cracks?” says gun shop owner Barry Laws.

“We don’t want to, no offence, turn into Australia or any other country that has been neutered,” he says, railing against President Obama’s calls to restrict the sale of assault rifles.

“Those who defend the easy accessibility of assault weapons,” Obama said, “should meet these families and explain why that makes sense, and why it is that we think our liberties require these repeated tragedies.”

Restaurant waiter Gary Brice found events in Orlando especially close to home – he was threatened with a gun by a homophobic customer just a few weeks earlier.

Many of the Orlando victims were also people of colour, and now Gary says he and his boyfriend simply feel safer at home.

“Gay is something that for a lot of communities of colour is considered to be ‘white’,” he says.

“So then you are marginalised by your sexuality within your own community, but then you are also marginalised within the gay community for being a person of colour because of racism.”

As all the divisions of America collide in Kentucky, the question being asked by many is will Orlando prove to be the catalyst for change? 

9:30pm Tuesday on SBS.