Pulse Nightclub, Orlando Domestic Terror

[47of74]

1 hour ago, FJismyheadship said:

The hatred I'm seeing on the internet makes me want to cry.

A supposed friend of mine went to the page of a drag queen I'm friends with and posted nasty hateful words about how he wouldn't want blood from a man who has "had it in someone else's shithole"

He has been blocked and I apologized to the Queen he said that to but it makes me want to cry. I nearly started blubbering right here in the middle of school.

I really don't understand the hate.

Yeah I've run in to a few of these too on my Facebook feed who felt the need to remove all doubt from the minds of others of what idiots they are.

And most of them who could not follow the above advise are now sitting in my long and undistinguished block list now. 

[apple1]

7 hours ago, nastyhobbitses said:

 If someone who has HIV donates, the blood gets screened, whoopsies, it's infected, toss it out. Or if a person wants to donate, do you have unprotected sex? Are you using dirty needles? Do you have HIV? Yes? No donation for you. I think the rule against MSM and IV drug users is discriminatory and should be done away with.

This information is overly simplistic and not correct. For EVERY blood-transmissible illness - there is a window of time (which varies depending on the particular infection - hepatitis, HIV, whichever specific infection is being discussed - before SEROCONVERSION occurs, during which the infection is present and transmissible, but the infection is not yet able to be picked up by testing. Today's testing is better than it has ever been in the past, but the infectious-but-not-yet-seroconverted time period is still there and still significant. This window is why there are screening questions and donor deferral criteria. It is also not testing error; it is the nature of how infections behave. The blood banks must do everything possible to reduce the opportunities for infecting transfusion recipients. Hence the questions and deferral groups re: more at-risk individuals. Additionally, in the US, the FDA creates many of these standards, and they are evidence-based. Evidence is the reason for the relatively recent changes by the FDA regarding MSM donors.

These requirements are not discrimination.

[Geechee Girl]

I yearn to be in my adopted city. OT- I yearn to be in SC. My heart was already heavy due to my cousin taking his own life last week. The funeral is day after tomorrow. I can't afford the travel expenses. Orlando has been friendly to the LGBT community thanks to the theme parks (Gay Days & domestic partner benefits) and theater scene. There is an openly gay councilwoman who is serving her fifth term. I fondly remember my first year in the city where the downtown IHOP posted "Welcome Bears" on their marquee.

My people are safe, yet grieving. They were at the Parliament House, a gay club & resort, for a Gay Days party. I'm six degrees separated from two of the victims, Luis Conde & Juan Velazquez. They owned a salon in Kissimmee where some of my fellow dance moms were clients. 

[smittykins]

I'm sorry about your cousin, but glad to hear your friends are safe.

[19 cats and counting]

3 hours ago, Geechee Girl said:

I yearn to be in my adopted city. OT- I yearn to be in SC. My heart was already heavy due to my cousin taking his own life last week. The funeral is day after tomorrow. I can't afford the travel expenses. Orlando has been friendly to the LGBT community thanks to the theme parks (Gay Days & domestic partner benefits) and theater scene. There is an openly gay councilwoman who is serving her fifth term. I fondly remember my first year in the city where the downtown IHOP posted "Welcome Bears" on their marquee.

My people are safe, yet grieving. They were at the Parliament House, a gay club & resort, for a Gay Days party. I'm six degrees separated from two of the victims, Luis Conde & Juan Velazquez. They owned a salon in Kissimmee where some of my fellow dance moms were clients. 

Hugs.  

I'm sorry about your cousin.

[lawlifelgbt]

I live in the Twin Cities and I am worried that someone will attack our Pride on the 26th. But I'm still going. If someone's going to shoot me, they can shoot me. I refuse to ACT afraid.

[Rachel333]

I saw a story earlier about a mom who was texting her son during the attack and, as of this afternoon, still hadn't heard about her son. I just saw that now she has been notified of his death: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/text-orlando-mother-tragedy?utm_content=buffer2ab43&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

I've had a very heavy heart ever since I heard of the attack, but I think this is the first time I've actually cried. I think it's going to get even harder over the next few days as more stories like this come out. There's a difference between just hearing that 50 people were slaughtered and actually learning personal details about the people who died.

[Antimony]

39 minutes ago, lawlifelgbt said:

I live in the Twin Cities and I am worried that someone will attack our Pride on the 26th. But I'm still going. If someone's going to shoot me, they can shoot me. I refuse to ACT afraid.

Whoa  - I'll be there volunteering.

[lilwriter85]

4 hours ago, Geechee Girl said:

I yearn to be in my adopted city. OT- I yearn to be in SC. My heart was already heavy due to my cousin taking his own life last week. The funeral is day after tomorrow. I can't afford the travel expenses. Orlando has been friendly to the LGBT community thanks to the theme parks (Gay Days & domestic partner benefits) and theater scene. There is an openly gay councilwoman who is serving her fifth term. I fondly remember my first year in the city where the downtown IHOP posted "Welcome Bears" on their marquee.

My people are safe, yet grieving. They were at the Parliament House, a gay club & resort, for a Gay Days party. I'm six degrees separated from two of the victims, Luis Conde & Juan Velazquez. They owned a salon in Kissimmee where some of my fellow dance moms were clients. 

Sorry to hear about your cousin.

[lawlifelgbt]

40 minutes ago, Antimony said:

Whoa  - I'll be there volunteering.

That's neat! Will you be with any org in particular? You could shoot me a PM and I could go introduce myself. I just feel a need to connect to people in the wake of this.

[Tim-Tom Biblethumper]

11 hours ago, 47of74 said:

Yeah I've run in to a few of these too on my Facebook feed who felt the need to remove all doubt from the minds of others of what idiots they are.

And most of them who could not follow the above advise are now sitting in my long and undistinguished block list now. 

Ditto here!  I unfriended about 1/3 of my "friends" last night.  They showed their true selves and I feel like an idiot for not seeing it sooner.

[mizandry]

Samantha Bee just put this video up on Orlando. Thought you all might want to see, in case you're not watching her already:

I have so many thoughts about the fact that this happened at an LGBT nightclub, too many to really express; it's still important this doesn't take a backseat to what happened at Pulse, or the fact that it happened during Ramadan and Pride Week (though Samantha's direction with this anger is also a necessary take to be getting from what happened in Orlando. VERY much so).

People are shaken. I'm fucking shaken - the location, the timing, who it happened to... I've been gradually writing to my friends just trying to make sure they're okay, because even though they're not in Orlando it's pretty clear that a lot of us are in varying states of shock, fear, anger, and alarm. I'm worried about the kind of violence this massacre will inspire, about who is next, and I know I'm not the only one worrying, by any means. Between this, police violence, Trump... I just can't.

 

[samurai_sarah]

It seems there's going to be a press conference with 8 surgeons and two patients today. Anyone interested in watching can do so here:

http://bit.ly/1OmaJ4w

[SpoonfulOSugar]

2 minutes ago, samurai_sarah said:

It seems there's going to be a press conference with 8 surgeons and two patients today. Anyone interested in watching can do so here:

http://bit.ly/1OmaJ4w

I found a heart-breaking post by an MD who was involved, but it doesn't seem to be public, so I have not re-posted it.

When we talk about heroes - the first responders and medical personnel did a Herculean job.  

[samurai_sarah]

26 minutes ago, SpoonfulOSugar said:

I found a heart-breaking post by an MD who was involved, but it doesn't seem to be public, so I have not re-posted it.

When we talk about heroes - the first responders and medical personnel did a Herculean job.  

That cannot be stressed enough! They are the unsung heroes and heroines.

[laPapessaGiovanna]

This makes me understand better how enormous this tragedy is but also how bigger and stronger the heart of the LGBTQ community is. From here m.huffpost.com/us/entry/10440392 

Quote

remember dancing most nights when I was at seminary. It was at the downtown nightclubs where I experienced community, transcendence, joy as people of different races, genders and sexualities came together in a pulsing interconnected mass, lifting up our arms, creating sacred space with our feet, sweat, our lust and our loves.

Nightclubs have always been sacred spaces for queer people, places to gather and glitter, away from the judging glares of society. Where we could love and be loved for who we are and how we want to be. Our revolution happened at a nightclub — Stonewall — where queers of all genders rose up and said we aren’t fucking taking this shit anymore.

I’m remembering that as I consider the death that overtook the dancers at the Orlando gay club called “Pulse.” Pulse. The beat of the bass. Pulse. The beat of life. Pulse. The beat of the heart. Pulse, stopped with gunshots fueled by hate and blood all over the floor.

Latinos/Immigrants/Queers proclaiming pride in who they are, in who God made them to be — dancing with their hands raised as bullets sprayed, and the pulse faded and was gone.

Devastation. Desolation. Grief. At least 50 heartbeats that will never revive. Their beautiful lives now merely ammunition, wood to fuel a destructive fire of recriminations, division and hatred that will consume our nation.

We have a love crisis in our country. Our heart isn’t beating right. Our arteries are clogged with clots of distrust and hate. The devil smiles as tears scald, burn, and slice. Queer lives are vanquished and points are scored. We have a love crisis in this country. Love is a scarce commodity.

How hard it is to follow the mandate of love today, how corrosive and tempting the call of fear and hate and revenge. But on this day, as hard as it is, I will cling to the mandate to love because I have no other choice. I will trust, as Martin Luther King, Jr. did, that love has a redemptive power. I will love because Jesus tells me to love my enemies.

It will not bring the pulse back to the lives of those who have died. But I will love so that I might resuscitate the pulse of our country. I will love as an act of defiance as a queer man, that we will not be silenced. I will love in honor of all those throughout history who have loved and felt silenced and alone. I will love my Muslim neighbors who feel vulnerable, I will love those who would do my friends and neighbors harm. I will love until my own pulse stops, with the prayer that my love might be more powerful than death.

Today I mourn and honor the lives of those who have died with my pulsing heart beating an insistence of love.

 

[MatthewDuggar]

Latest reports are that the killer had been communicating with several guys on Grindr and Jack'd prior to all this.  Either he was in the closet or questioning his sexuality OR using the apps as a research tool.  This makes the whole thing even more baffling and sad.

[Fundie Bunny]

Just saw on the news that apparently the shooter was himself homosexual and was frequent client of pulse. It's just nuts

[Jana814]

A victim's brother was on Good Morning America today. He said his sister wasn't gay she had tons of friends and went to that club a few times. 

[PennySycamore]

@laPapessaGiovanna, thank you for sharing that  piece from HuffPo.  It was beautiful!  

[2manyKidzzz]

I just saw the press conference with the doctors, nurses and hospital staff who assisted with logistics. Very impressive and very emotional. They are great people. Real professionals and heroes that night. Such good people. 

[Rachel333]

I saw this tweet from Dan Savage.

Quote

Stonewall 1969: cops rush into gay bar to arrest patrons.

Pulse 2016: cops rush into gay bar to save patrons.

LGBT acceptance really has come a long way very quickly. It has been heartening to see how most people have been responding to the attack. Events like these always bring out the worst and best of humanity.

[Black Aliss]

4 hours ago, MatthewDuggar said:

Latest reports are that the killer had been communicating with several guys on Grindr and Jack'd prior to all this.  Either he was in the closet or questioning his sexuality OR using the apps as a research tool.  This makes the whole thing even more baffling and sad.

A lot of people, myself included, thought immediately on hearing the news, especially the part where his father described the two of them seeing two men kissing, that this was a profoundly disturbed closeted gay man who was terrified to come out to his family, and used homophobia as a cover. Apparently even his father used to taunt him by calling him "gay".

There just are no words. . .

A Sacramento Baptist preacher's sermon praising the attack on an Orlando nightclub that left 50 people dead has the local LGBT community outraged, reports CBS Sacramento.

Recordings of the sermon by Pastor Roger Jimenez surfaced on the Verity Baptist Church's YouTube account.

"Are you sad that 50 pedophiles were killed today?" he said in the sermon. "Um -- no -- I think that's great! I think that helps society. I think Orlando, Florida is a little safer tonight."

The remarks were delivered on Sunday morning, hours after the attack.

"We don't need to do anything to help. As far as I'm concerned, Orlando is a little bit safer tonight," he said.

<snip>

Jimenez's sermon went on to call for even more death, at the hands of the government.

"If we lived in a righteous government, they should round them all up and put them up against a firing wall, and blow their brains out," Jimenez said in the sermon.

 

http://www.abc10.com/news/local/sacramento/sacramento-baptist-pastor-praises-orlando-massacre/243211965

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mass-shooting-orlando-gay-club-pulse-fierce-controversy-over-pastors-remarks-about-orlando-attack/

[bashfulpixie]

I don't understand how people can think someone with that kind of hatred in their veins speaks the word of their "loving" God.  Him, and people like him, are the ones that we all need to be afraid of

[Mecca]

4 hours ago, 2manyKidzzz said:

I just saw the press conference with the doctors, nurses and hospital staff who assisted with logistics. Very impressive and very emotional. They are great people. Real professionals and heroes that night. Such good people. 

I actually know one of the trauma surgeons that was on the panel and spoke during the news conference. When I worked in nursing, he was a resident that worked in the indigent surgery/trauma clinics I ran. We became very good friends. Even though we have both moved on from that job and hospital, we still remain in touch. He truly is a nice guy, a very good surgeon and very compassionate with his patients. I saw it first hand when I worked with him. When I needed help with a patient, he would always be there for our patients and my staff. I am so proud of him.