President Obama Speaks After Meeting Orlando Survivors, Victims’ Families – WATCH LIVE
President Obama on Thursday travelled to Orlando, Florida on Thursday to meet with survivors and families of victims of Sunday’s massacre at gay nightclub Pulse.
Obama, along with Vice President Joe Biden, were greeted by Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, who presented the president with a T-shirt featuring a rainbow heart and the hashtag #OrlandoUnited.
The White House said the afternoon visit will be private with the families, and Obama will “stand in solidarity with the Orlando community.”
Goddess Diamond is the 14th transgender person killed this year
Rest in power, Goddess Diamond. Her chosen first name is not yet known, so the Advocate.com reports that Venus Selenite, a black trans feminine artist, coined the name Goddess for Diamond so that Goddess would not be referred to by her birth name in stories about her death.
On June 5, Goddess Diamond was found dead by “blunt force trauma” in a burning car in New Orleans. Her death was not reported until four days after she was found. She was just 20 years old, and worked at Wal-Mart.
George Melichar, a friend and co-worker, described Goddess as “very loved and…very kind” in a statement to the The New Orleans Advocate. As so often happens when a trans person is killed, this story in the New Orleans paper misgenders Goddess and uses her birth name, even though Melichar confirms that she identified as a woman and was in the process of transitioning.
The trans community experiences this invalidation of her identity as adding insult to injury, and contributing to an unacceptable and dangerous erasure of her authentically lived life. GLAAD has a resource for journalists called “Doubly Victimized” which details best practices for fairly and accurately reporting on trans people who’ve been victims of crime. We hope other friends who knew Goddess will come forward and share her chosen name with local media.
Goddess becomes the 14th known trans person killed in the United States since January 1, 2016. That’s 14 violent deaths in 24 weeks. This follows 2015, the deadliest year in recorded history, in which 21 transgender people were murdered. These statistics do not include transgender people who were violently attacked, but did not die.
In the wake of the mass shooting in Orlando that targeted an LGBT nightclub where 49 people were killed and 53 injured, the murder of Goddess Diamond reminds us yet again of the ongoing slow motion mass murder of transgender people, particularly transwomen of color. Sadly, fear of violence is a daily reality for transgender people – especially transgender women.
Disney, Comcast NBCUniversal, Orlando Magic and more make donations #WeAreOrlando
Photo Credit: Pulse
In the wake of the tragedy that happened this weekend at Pulse in Orlando, many entertainment entities and professional sports organizations have donated to help the survivors and families of the victims, and to support the work of local non-profit organizations mobilizing on the ground in Orlando.
The sports world have also stepped up to show support for the survivors and families of victims. Orlando’s professional basketball team, the Orlando Magic, donated $100,000 to OneOrlando with the team owners donating another $400,000. Moreover, the Magic, in partnership with the Orlando Lions, Pride, Predators, and Solar Bears, have launched a line of t-shirts featuring the #OrlandoUnited slogan. Proceeds of the shirts will benefit OneOrlando.
Equality Florida is leading the fundraising effort to support the victims, survivors, and their families as contributions roll in from corporations and people around the world.
Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts lit up with rainbow lights in honor of the victims of the Pulse massacre during Monday nights powerful vigil. A man is standing on the balcony observing the thousands in the crowd who came together to mourn the 49 victims. I was so overwhelmed with emotions during the vigil… I could hardly gather the strength to take the few photos that I did. I have never been this close to such a horrific event. My boyfriend and I were supposed to go to Pulse soon with his parents. Thankfully it wasn’t on Sunday night. It is very sobering when you come to the realization that there are people in this world who hate you enough to kill you just because of who you love. I am so heart broken by this senseless violence. So many young lives were cut short for no reason. I am filled with so much grief and anger as I see how it has effected people in my community. so many people knew the victims and their families. The attack has effected the whole world. It was intended to break us, but we can’t be broken no matter how far we are bent. The LGBT community is strong. This is not only an attack on the LGBT community, it was an attack on humanity. Love always conquers hate. We are Orlando.
7 Reasons You Really Can’t Miss New Orleans Pride This Year
New Orleans Pride is experiencing a bit of a renaissance as one of the fastest growing Pride festivals in the country. Last year, Travel + Leisure named it as one of their “Nine LGBT Destinations to Visit This Summer,” and people are starting to notice. The events have been growing in number each year, and 50,000 plus folks are expected to swarm the city for this year’s parade.
We’ve outlined a few reasons this year’s event will be even more special:
1. You could be IN the Pride Parade
There will be a 100-foot-long rainbow flag leading the parade through the French Quarter and down Bourbon Street, and volunteers are needed to help carry it (sign up here). This is a truly unique experience, and you’ll even get a T-shirt for helping out! This year’s parade is set to have more than 1,000 participants, including nine floats and more than 70 groups.
2. It’s also the annual Louisiana HRC Dinner
Some years these great events overlap, giving you a chance to add a little black tie to your rainbow wardrobe. The Gala and Auction happens on Saturday, June 18 at the Hyatt Regency. The General Reception starts at 6 p.m., followed by the dinner and awards at 6:45 p.m. This has been an important year for LGBT rights, and this gala is not to be missed. You can buy individual tickets and will be placed at a table, or you can host your own table. Three amazing local chefs will serve up the dinner, and there is an after-party in one of the suites upstairs in the hotel.
Attendees at last year’s HRC Gala. (Photo courtesy of Willow Haley)
3. This weekend is a great value
There’s so much going on, and most of it is FREE! Besides the free Pride events, there’s also Cajun Zydeco Fest. If you’ve never heard this type of music, you definitely need to check it out.
Pride is definitely one time of year the girls will be OUT! Besides the Girl Party at the Bourbon Pub on Saturday (4 p.m. – 8 p.m.), you will be certain to find lesbians at Swirl Bar on Friday night, at the HRC Gala, and enjoying the music in the city.
5. Bianca Del Rio is back!
Missing the “queen of mean”? The winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 6, our hometown girl, Bianca is back to kick off the Pride festivities with a show at the Joy Theater. She’ll be joined by Drag Race alums Mrs. Kasha Davis, Milk, and Darienne Lake.
6. New this year: PrideFest on Bourbon
This year, New Orleans Pride is taking to the streets. On Sunday, June 19, the corner of Bourbon and St. Ann streets will become a musical stage starring Debby Holiday, Jai Rodriguez, Billy Francesca, Persana Shoulders and many more.
7. If you’re still not convinced…press play
For more information and news on the city’s LGBT community, sign up for New Orleans’ LGBT e-newsletter here.
New Orleans Pride Parade on Bourbon Street being led by a giant rainbow flag.
Gun Sales Skyrocket Among LGBTQ Americans In The Aftermath Of Orlando Massacre
Last weekend was absolutely terrible for America, and particularly LGBTQ Americans. But it was great for firearms shops and gun manufacturers. Like, really great.
Gun sales in the country have skyrocketed since Sunday’s deadly shooting massacre at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando that left 49 dead and 53 injured. But this time, a brand new demographic is loading up on weapons and ammunition: Gays and lesbians.
“For this time of year I’d say its three to four times what we normally have,” George Horne, the owner of The Gun Room, Denver’s oldest firearms dealer, tells FOX 31-TV, adding that he’s “not surprised” by the spike in sales.
According to Vox, gun sales almost always surge after mass shootings.
“[Mass shootings] are an opportunity for gun manufacturers to sell more guns,” explains James Hardiman, an analyst who covers the firearm industry.
Hardiman adds that the political discourse only adds to the number of sales.
“On the left, you have Hillary Clinton talking about tighter gun restriction, which scares the gun people,” he says. “And on the right, you’ve got Donald Trump, who is contributing to the fear of Muslims and ISIS. Gun sales are being bolstered by rhetoric on both sides.”
FOX 31-TValso reports that The Pink Pistols, a national LGBTQ gun club, says its memberships more than double between Saturday and Monday, soaring from about 1,500 members to 3,500, with dozens of new chapters are springing up all over.
One of the people opening a chapter in Colorado Springs is Mike Smith, a heterosexual firearms instructor.
“Because of what happened, people are looking for answers,” he says. “I look at it as a disenfranchised minority that needs someone who’s willing to say I’m a resource who’s here and willing to help.”
John McCain: ‘Barack Obama Is Directly Responsible’ for Orlando Massacre
Senator John McCain on Thursday blamed President Obama for the Orlando massacre, saying he is “directly responsible” for the worst terror attack on U.S. soil since 9/11.
McCain, who lost to Obama in the 2008 election, made his remarks to press on Capitol Hill. McCain was responding to questions about Democrats’ filibuster on gun control, a move prompted by the deadly mass shooting at the gay nightclub, Pulse, on Sonday.
“Barack Obama is directly responsible for it, because when he pulled everybody out of Iraq, al-Qaeda went to Syria, became ISIS, and ISIS is what it is today thanks to Barack Obama’s failures,” McCain said.
When pressed by a reporter on the claim that Obama was “directly” responsible, McCain reiterated his point — that Obama should not have withdrawn combat troops from Iraq.
“He pulled everybody out of Iraq, and I predicted at the time that ISIS would go unchecked, and there would be attacks on the United States of America,” he said. “It’s a matter of record, so he is directly responsible.”
Sensing a backlash, McCain then tweeted a clarification, saying, ” I was referring to Pres Obama’s national security decisions that have led to rise of #ISIL, not to the President himself.”
To clarify, I was referring to Pres Obama’s national security decisions that have led to rise of #ISIL, not to the President himself
On Tuesday, 
#WeAreOrlando 
