Sophie's Diary: Love is love, no matter who you fall head over heels for

Among the tragic events which have taken place over the course of the past week, there has been one incident in particular which has struck not only me but the rest of the world immensely.

Waking up to the news on Sunday morning that America had seen its worst mass shooting in history was terrible but what escalated the feelings of sadness and anger I had was realising that the shooting was targeted at the LGBT community.

In 2016, we live in a society which has begun to accept people who identify as gay, transgender or bisexual.

Although I’m straight, the attack which occurred in a nightclub halfway across the world has affected me deeply. It’s not because some of my friends could have been in the same situation, but because I believe this was an attack on the idea of love.

No matter someone’s gender, race or religion, I believe that, whatever the circumstances, love is love and as human beings we should celebrate this, not exploit it.

Many theories have emerged surrounding the motives shooter Omar Mateen had by carrying out such a brutal attack.

One pinned the idea on the fact Mateen could have been potentially gay himself. Others suggested he had been influenced by radical Islam.

On Tuesday, president Obama made a speech suggesting Trump would use this as a “talking point” rather than acting on the situation to make America better.

No matter what the motive, the outcome was clear. Almost 50 people lost their lives because of one person’s inability to accept love –without barriers.

If this incident speaks one thing, it’s this – we must unite and understand that we are all the same, no matter what religion, gender or race we are.

We must show compassion and remember, love is love.