Was Orlando shooter, Omar Mateen gay?

Was the Orlando shooter, Omar Mateen gay? According to patrons at The Pulse Nightclub, Mateen was a regular customer there and used a gay dating app to chat with men, well before he decided to shoot over a hundred patrons at the famous gay bar.

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LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) - Evidence is mounting to suggest Orlando nightclub shooter, Omar Mateen may have been gay and sought a relationship with a man before shooting up the Orlando nightclub he sometimes visited.

So far, four patrons have come forward to report that Mateen was a regular customer who often sat in a corner and drank alone. Sometimes he would become "loud and belligerent," according to Ty Smith, a regular at The Pulse Nightclub.

Mateen allegedly became enraged, according to his father, Seddique Mateen, after two men kissed in front of him and his three-year-old son.

Mateen's father, Seddique is from Afghanistan, but now lives in the United States. Seddique has expressed support for the Taliban and once declared himself candidate for president of that country, but never mounted a serious campaign. Seddique Mateen has condemned his son's actions.

Omar Mateen was Muslim, and purchased his firearms legally, although he arguably should not have been allowed to because he had previously been investigated by the FBI for terror links. Mateen once communicated with a man who became a suicide bomber and claimed to know the the Tsarnaev brothers who bombed the Boston Marathon.

During his bloody rampage, Mateen called 911 and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. This has led many to conclude his attack was an act of terror, although a lone wolf action. The Islamic State responded with praise.

However, there could be another motive. Was Omar Mateen gay?

According to Samuel King, who worked at a restaurant and frequently served Mateen lunch, the Orlando shooter had no problem with gays. King worked at a Ruby Tuesday at the same time Mateen worked at a GNC supplament store. According to King, Mateen would often come in for lunch. King is openly gay and had long, feminine hair at the time he knew Mateen. He told The Daily Beast that he never saw homophobia from Mateen. King said Mateen often drank at the bar and joked with the bartender, who he knew were lesbians.

Others have pointed out that he had a profile on the gay dating app, Grindr, which men use to meet other men for sex. Two men have come forward to report they were approached by Mateen on the app, but both declined his advances.

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His own ex-wife also said he had "gay tendencies" and another classmate from school said Mateen once asked him out. He visited gay nightclubs in the Orlando area, and was previously seen dancing with other men.

It is a known psychological phenomenon that people who rail prominently against homosexuality are often homosexuals themselves, but are unable to come to terms with their same-sex attraction.

Did Omar Mateen struggle with same-sex attraction and did this struggle lead him to commit mass murder? For now, we are left to draw our own conclusions, but one thing is certain, Mateen's actions were the result of a complex calculus that included social rejection, religious fanaticism, and sexual frustration.

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