Openly gay NY state Sen. Brad Hoylman declines to back LGBT reference-free Orlando resolution

[dlwickham]

State Sen. Brad Hoylman, the state Senate’s only openly gay member, declined to back on Tuesday a resolution memorializing those killed and injured in Sunday’s shooting at a gay club in Orlando, expressing displeasure that it did not include references to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or Latino.

“That is a mistake because, frankly, one could suggest that we’re trying to rewrite an important part of American and LGBT history,” Holyman said in an emotional speech from the floor. “I don’t think we should condone expunging (the) words transgender, gay, lesbian, bisexual, Latino from resolutions as important as this. And if we don’t recognize these words, Mr. President, we’re not recognizing the people who lost their lives and the loved ones who are suffering today.”

http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/250259/sen-brad-hoylman-declines-to-back-lgbt-reference-free-orlando-resolution/

[JustAnotherGen]

1. He's right

[frazzled]

2. Good for him, especially for adding the Latino part as well

This is something that I have been wondering about for some days now. We rightfully have focused our attentions on the homophobic aspects of this attack on a gay nightclub, and the toll in loss and fear to the LGBT community. But 90% of the victims were Latino, and now we have survivors saying how the shooter asked about who was black, stating he had "no problem" with them. Wha?

Should we be asking ourselves whether there was ethnic racism in this as well? (He went there on Latin Night.) And should we not be emphasizing in all this 24/7 coverage the huge loss to Orlando's Latino (mainly Puerto Rican) community, too?