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La Lioness Priyanka

(53,866 posts)
Thu Jun 23, 2016, 03:18 PM Jun 2016

Some one made a point to tell me that i had not commented much about the Orlando shooting

and yes, they are right, I have not. And I haven't not because I don't care about dead gay brown kids but because they all remind me of myself, my brother, my best friends etc.

Those kids could easily been my brother and me partying in the early 2000's at a club. Those kids looked so much like us back then too. (yes, i know they were not all kids, but a large number were)

I have not commented because it makes me so very upset and sick. Not because I don't care.

And yes, i do attribute it to homophobia and guns and mental illness and radical religious craziness.

Whether or not it is internalized homophobia or other form of homophobia, we as a broader are responsible for creating a climate against queer people. And that climate is created by laws, politicians, religion, cultural practices etc. So whether a person is straight and holds this hatred, or whether they are queer and holds this hatred, they are still reflecting society.

We as a society have somehow allowed crazy military style guns to be considered normal.

We as a society sort of shrug when religious people talk about gay people going to hell and deserving death.

We have all to some degree allowed this sort of craziness to continue.

And I am sure that a single gun law will not fix it.

And I don't think we should stop with guns, we should rally around these transphobic laws and other things that create this hostile climate to continue against queer people.

But the more the more we choose to do absolutely nothing, the more we allow these climates to foster. The more we say, 'kill more gay brown kids, doesn't really matter, life goes on'


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Some one made a point to tell me that i had not commented much about the Orlando shooting (Original Post) La Lioness Priyanka Jun 2016 OP
I've learned to reserve comment here, even if I have opinions, because closeupready Jun 2016 #1
oh i'm going to pride. it's like a yearly pilgrimage! gotta do it or i lose my gay creds~ La Lioness Priyanka Jun 2016 #2
... closeupready Jun 2016 #3
do you go? La Lioness Priyanka Jun 2016 #4
Not for the last couple years. closeupready Jun 2016 #7
every year my enthusiasm falls another 10%, but i do always enjoy it! La Lioness Priyanka Jun 2016 #8
Excellent post, LLP. brer cat Jun 2016 #5
thanks much hon! La Lioness Priyanka Jun 2016 #6
I haven't commented much either for a lot of the same reasons. Photographer Jun 2016 #9
What I really hate awoke_in_2003 Jun 2016 #14
every time i think about it, i really feel vomit-y. La Lioness Priyanka Jun 2016 #15
What makes me so sick about the Orlando attack MotorCityMan Jun 2016 #32
I saw that awoke_in_2003 Jun 2016 #10
it was a nonsensical statement, along with many other angry and bitter La Lioness Priyanka Jun 2016 #16
pm me a link? I keep tabs. nt msanthrope Jun 2016 #21
I've turned into a real asshole about guns and gun love. hunter Jun 2016 #11
me too. i have lost all patience with guns, gun lovers, and people who think that gun rights are La Lioness Priyanka Jun 2016 #13
You and me both. I've had it with being "nice" and getting run over. nolabear Jun 2016 #17
K&R Quayblue Jun 2016 #12
Thanks!!! La Lioness Priyanka Jun 2016 #35
Two things I can think of for mass shootings passiveporcupine Jun 2016 #18
not much we can do about religion, but we can do more about protecting lGBT people La Lioness Priyanka Jun 2016 #19
kick for truth Blue_Tires Jun 2016 #20
k&r Starry Messenger Jun 2016 #22
Love for one another should be the norm - not devices for killing csziggy Jun 2016 #23
thanks for saying this. sorry, i somehow neglected to respond to this post La Lioness Priyanka Jun 2016 #36
That's OK - it is an active thread csziggy Jun 2016 #37
I know what you mean. I feel the same way. William769 Jun 2016 #24
... La Lioness Priyanka Jun 2016 #28
Hey Hekate Jun 2016 #25
... La Lioness Priyanka Jun 2016 #29
K&R mcar Jun 2016 #26
Thanks hon La Lioness Priyanka Jun 2016 #30
. ismnotwasm Jun 2016 #27
... La Lioness Priyanka Jun 2016 #31
Could have been me and my friends. bigwillq Jun 2016 #33
.... La Lioness Priyanka Jun 2016 #34
 

closeupready

(29,503 posts)
1. I've learned to reserve comment here, even if I have opinions, because
Thu Jun 23, 2016, 03:41 PM
Jun 2016

DU is populated with geniuses who have no time to cure cancer or broker peace in the Middle East or create a safe energy system because their time is (apparently) dedicated to shouting down members here who they dislike (and/or their views).

If you go to Pride this weekend, I hope you enjoy yourself; if you don't, I hope you enjoy your weekend whatever you do.

brer cat

(24,401 posts)
5. Excellent post, LLP.
Thu Jun 23, 2016, 03:59 PM
Jun 2016

All of it, but I will repeat this and give you a K&R

And I don't think we should stop with guns, we should rally around these transphobic laws and other things that create this hostile climate to continue against queer people.


 

Photographer

(1,142 posts)
9. I haven't commented much either for a lot of the same reasons.
Thu Jun 23, 2016, 04:03 PM
Jun 2016

It still breaks my heart and causes tears to roll down my cheeks.

Well said. K&R'd.

 

awoke_in_2003

(34,582 posts)
14. What I really hate
Thu Jun 23, 2016, 04:07 PM
Jun 2016

is that feeling I have gotten ever since Sandy Hook- we are never (the country as a whole) going to do a damn thing to address the problem. It is almost soul crushing.

 

La Lioness Priyanka

(53,866 posts)
15. every time i think about it, i really feel vomit-y.
Thu Jun 23, 2016, 04:08 PM
Jun 2016

it could have easily been my brother, BFF, and me at a Sholay party in NYC. the pics had that happened would look almost identical.

MotorCityMan

(1,203 posts)
32. What makes me so sick about the Orlando attack
Fri Jun 24, 2016, 11:19 AM
Jun 2016

is that it happened in a gay bar. Oh, I know there have been other shootings and tragedies in gay bars, but I don't believe on this scale.

When I came out at 18 in 1983, I thought the bars were the greatest thing in the world. Homosexuality wasn't talked about as openly then as now (not that today is all sunshine and flowers, but it was a much different climate then). In the movies (especially the teen, let's-all-get-laid movies), "faggot" and "queer" were the absolute worse insult you could use on someone. I went to a good friend's funeral who died of AIDS, and then had to go to work and hear coworkers making AIDS jokes (I did go to HR about that, I was SO angry about that). I stayed firmly in the closet at work and always, always was on guard to not say the wrong thing, not look at a guy to long, etc.., so worried to be found out.

After dealing with this all day every day, the bars were like a sanctuary. They were a place you could go and let all your guards down and be yourself. Better still, you had one major thing in common with almost everyone else in the bar, and they were dealing with all the same crap you were. There was always such a feeling of community and belonging there, it really made it so much easier to deal with the day to day bullshit.

Now it's like that sanctuary has been invaded and contaminated. I don't go to the bars very much anymore, but when I do there will be that thought in my mind now that someone could burst in firing. Nowadays, of course, there are allot more options to meet and connect with other gays. To some of us older gays (a few friends I discussed this with agreed), it feels like this took something away from us that was really special.

hunter

(38,264 posts)
11. I've turned into a real asshole about guns and gun love.
Thu Jun 23, 2016, 04:05 PM
Jun 2016

Piss on guns.

Gun love is disgusting.

Maybe this post gets closest to my raw feelings:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=7926600


.


.


.


What can I do?





 

La Lioness Priyanka

(53,866 posts)
13. me too. i have lost all patience with guns, gun lovers, and people who think that gun rights are
Thu Jun 23, 2016, 04:06 PM
Jun 2016

absolute.

nolabear

(41,915 posts)
17. You and me both. I've had it with being "nice" and getting run over.
Thu Jun 23, 2016, 05:06 PM
Jun 2016

When people I love are harassed and I'm worried my kids will die in some asshole's random or planned act nice is long in the past.

passiveporcupine

(8,175 posts)
18. Two things I can think of for mass shootings
Thu Jun 23, 2016, 05:28 PM
Jun 2016

One, we are already working on. That is banning military style weapons. If we can ever pass it federally. Until then we need to do it state by state.

The other is religion.

The Supreme Court also said that "the power to tax involves the power to destroy." Taxing churches breaks down the healthy separation of church and state and leads to the destruction of the free exercise of religion.

http://www.latimes.com/la-oew-lynn-stanley23-2008sep23-story.html

Maybe it is time to stop letting religions call themselves religions that get a tax exemption, when they promote hatred toward any group in our society.

I don't mean pedophiles. I mean groups that don't break laws (and even pedophiles that don't act on their nature would fall into that) or hurt other people.

Maybe we need to classify what a religion really is. Something that is beneficial to society,not destructive. After all, we sometimes refuse cults from calling themselves a religion and getting a tax exemption.

Yes, I know this would ruffle a lot of feathers of people who would scream "freedom of speech" freedom of religion". Well guess what? A religion that is exempted of paying taxes should not be allowed "freedom to promote hate". And you still have the freedom to preach hate all you want. You just don't get a tax exemption.



 

La Lioness Priyanka

(53,866 posts)
19. not much we can do about religion, but we can do more about protecting lGBT people
Thu Jun 23, 2016, 05:53 PM
Jun 2016

through laws and changes in public attitude.

csziggy

(34,120 posts)
23. Love for one another should be the norm - not devices for killing
Thu Jun 23, 2016, 06:38 PM
Jun 2016

So what if you don't comment on a subject - that doesn't mean you don't care. Sometimes all the obvious things have been said and another comment just adds to the echo chamber. Sometimes the subject hits too close to the heart and it is too painful to try to come up with the words, or too painful to put them out there for uncaring people to shred your words.



csziggy

(34,120 posts)
37. That's OK - it is an active thread
Sat Jun 25, 2016, 12:04 PM
Jun 2016

I often don't respond to messages about losses of loved ones. Not because I don't care, but because it brings back my losses and I really don't have anything constructive to add to the discussion. Often as I am reading the threads, I'm crying.

 

bigwillq

(72,790 posts)
33. Could have been me and my friends.
Fri Jun 24, 2016, 11:25 AM
Jun 2016

I am not brown, but hung out with a lot of brown kids in the clubs. And I love going to Latin nights.

Good post.

K and R

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