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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSome 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'
closeupready
(29,503 posts)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.
La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)closeupready
(29,503 posts)La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)closeupready
(29,503 posts)La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)brer cat
(24,640 posts)All of it, but I will repeat this and give you a K&R
La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)Photographer
(1,142 posts)It still breaks my heart and causes tears to roll down my cheeks.
Well said. K&R'd.
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)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)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)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.
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)the one who said that is no class
La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)nonsensical statements,
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)hunter
(38,341 posts)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)absolute.
nolabear
(42,001 posts)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.
Quayblue
(1,045 posts)Enjoy yourself at Pride.
La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)passiveporcupine
(8,175 posts)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.
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)through laws and changes in public attitude.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)Starry Messenger
(32,342 posts)csziggy
(34,139 posts)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.
La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)csziggy
(34,139 posts)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.
William769
(55,148 posts)La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)Hekate
(90,978 posts)La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)mcar
(42,439 posts)La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)ismnotwasm
(42,023 posts)La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)bigwillq
(72,790 posts)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