Rod and Karen discuss a spree shooting at Pulse night club, Amber Heard, Mel Gibson wants a sequel to Passion, Gawker files for bankruptcy, Robert Bates sentenced, Stanford rapist, man dies at work jerking it, Love And Hip Hop Houston cast revealed, Magic City fails health inspection, smart tampon, student impersonates teacher with black face, racist gamers mad about Watch Dogs 2 protagonist, Davontae Sanford, rapper going to jail, woman pours vodka in child’s eyes, man burns car and sword ratchetness.
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As a former resident of Orlando and a once-regular visitor to Pulse, the news of the shooting over the weekend shook me to the core. I’d been to Latin Night at Pulse before, and saw how important that safe space was to people who, already marginalized by the country at large, could also find themselves unfortunately marginalized by the local Puerto Rican, Dominican, and other Latinx communities, just like Black LGBT people can experience in much of the country.
The underreporting by some of the major news outlets of the fact that about 95% of the victims were people of color is frustrating; it’s clear they want to chase the “Islamic terrorist” angle because it’ll get them better ratings, but it seems so wrong to ignore the impact this has had psychologically on the Latinx LGBT community. Thanks to the power of the internet, have been some pieces written by bloggers and others that focus on how important clubs can be as a sanctuary for LGBT people of color (several of them are collected here: http://americasvoice.org/press_releases/gabe-ortiz-49-lives-community-lost-latin-night-pulse/). The idea of the shooting happening there – no matter what the reason, though the Islamic terrorism ties are starting to look more jumbled as more evidence comes out (the shooter claimed allegiances with multiple organizations that are antagonistic to one another) – is terrifying. The losses of lives, the injuring of innocent people, and the recasting of the memories of everyone who’d been to Pulse is all devastating. It hasn’t stopped bothering me all week, nevermind my friends who still live in the area who lost people in the shooting.
Hey Rod and Karen,
I listened to this episode coming back from visiting my grandma in the hospital (she’s ok) and I just needed to thank both of y’all for getting me through that day pissed but still entertained.
I talked to a queer friend about the Pulse shooting and he admitted he couldn’t conceive of what it was like to love someone and not have fear as a part of that. Just to not be afraid that loving someone would put them in danger. That’s stuck with me all week and that’s the safe space that was violated and why I will fight anyone who argues this wasn’t terrorism. Almost a year to the day Dylan Roof intentional chose a Black church to shoot up, which resonates even if you have no ties to religion. That’s an intentional act and that’s personal.
Talking about the Stanford rape trial and Johnny Depp’s domestic violence back to back really drove home how much we hate women as a society. Even in the OJ documentary, the parallels of an abuser’s need for control were so obvious but we’ll do anything it takes to rationalize it, blame the woman and not confront the fact someone we know and like could be rapist or abuser.
By the way you were right about Air BnB only stepping up because of the PR hit they’re taking. Last week I saw an ad for Noir BnB which I never knew existed, pitching themselves as a service where you don’t have to worry about the racism and a safe space for Black travelers.
Rod’s point about diversity in fantasy was a big one, but I’m gonna drop that off for the Nerd-Off. Sorry this went so long, but y’all were on fire, and a nigga really had to get if off his chest.
P.S. Don’t feel bad Karen, my first thought when I heard Kirko Bangs was “oh shit, Mona bringing people back from the dead?” But then I felt even worse when I remembered the first time I heard of him was from Elon’s wife Emily.
I really dropped a tear when I heard Rod explain the reason why we love our clubs so much. I love knowing that you guys understand what my family just can’t .
Love, Nehemiah
The fake unity that people are drumming up have me blown. It’s amazing to sit and listen to ring-wingers condemn homophobia in the Islam community. The same people that be harlem shaking when anti-LGBTQ law are passed. We all know that if the same people were injured or killed by a fire at the club, a lot of republicans wouldn’t pretend to care at all. In fact, we know that some of them would consider it a sign from God.
Also, I want to send a very special shout out to the people enraged by the Standford ruling but still defends Bill Cosby.
Newt Gingrich stated the biggest threat to gay rights is Islamic Extremists and he is right. Islamic Extremists have fought against gay marriage to protect family values. They have fought lgbtq anti-discrimination in the work place laws. They have passed laws over which bathroom trans people should use. They think private businesses should be able to refuse service to the lgbtq community. They also want to be to deny government services to lgbtq people. Oh, wait, I was reading the Republican Party platform. My bad. Well at least I know the NRA has it right about more guns=less crime. The facts are right there, look at the UK. The UK has virtually banned guns and criminals are terrorizing good people. They have one of the highest if not the highest per capita murder rates among first world nations. They currently have over 2 million people in prison and growing. Uh, I think I fucked again. I thought it said UK but it was actually US. The gunless UK is actually one of the safest first world country. Sorry , but remember never let facts get in the way of a good argument.