Pulse Massacre

From the Los Angeles Times: Since the shooting at an Orlando nightclub last week that left 49 people dead, reports have emerged that gunman Omar Mateen frequented the gay club, used gay dating apps and had gay lovers. But the FBI has found no evidence so far to support claims by those who say Mateen had gay lovers or communicated …

From the Guardian: A British gay men’s choir is to release a cover of Bridge Over Troubled Water for victims of the Orlando shooting. The London Gay Men’s Chorus (LGMC) will release its version of Simon & Garfunkel’s hit on Friday, with proceeds to be split equally between the Pulse Victims Fund, organised by Equality Florida, and Galop, a London-­based …

A coalition of 200 top-selling recording artists and entertainers have signed onto a letter calling on Congress to act on gun violence. From Billboard: As leading artists and executives in the music industry, we are adding our voices to the chorus of Americans demanding change. Music always has been celebrated communally, on dancefloors and at concert halls. But this life-affirming …

From USA Today: House Democrats ended their sit-in on the floor of the House after more than 24-hours of chants and speeches advocating for stricter gun control measures. Speaker Paul Ryan excoriated Democrats Thursday morning for disrupting the business of the House as the minority party’s sit-in to protest inaction on gun violence moved into its second day. Some Democrats …

Via press release: With the recent tragedy of 49 innocent lives lost at the LGBT nightclub, Pulse, in Orlando, FL on June 12, 2016, the global community was left to mourn those unjustly taken by hate. As we continue to grieve in the wake of the Orlando tragedy, it is important to confront hate face-to-face and let the LGBT community …

NPR reports: The owner of Orlando’s Pulse nightclub, where 49 clubgoers were shot and killed on June 12, says she and her staff will host a “Latin Night” street party on Thursday. “We need to show that we are strong, that Pulse continues and that we appreciate all the help the community has shown us,” said Barbara Poma in a …

Pink News reports: Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy has declared that “our children are gay and God is gay” – in a poem released in the wake of the Orlando massacre. Duffy was appointed as Britain’s Poet Laureate in 2009, and is the first ever openly LGB person to hold the esteemed traditional role. The Poet Laureate is expected to …

The Hill reports: Dozens of Democratic lawmakers have been holding a day-long sit-in on the House floor to force a vote on gun control bills. Republicans met a short while ago to hatch a plan aimed at seizing control of the chamber and end the sit-in. Watch live as the sit-in enters what may be its dramatic final hours. #house …

From the Orlando Sentinel: Tim Tebow visited former high school teammate Rodney Sumter, who was wounded during the Pulse nightclub shooting and is recovering at Orlando Regional Medical Center. Tebow and Sumter played together at Ponte Vedra Beach Nease High. A post on Sumter’s Instagram account Tuesday featuring a picture with Tebow read, “My high school quarterback left the Bahamas …

NBC News reports: House Democrats led by Civil Rights veteran Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia, are in the midst of a sit-in on the chamber floor to try and force a vote on gun control. “Now is the time for us to find a way to dramatize it, to make it real,” Lewis said. “We have to occupy the floor of …

Over five million views in one day. From the clip description: From commemorating Pride parades to opening up about transitions and explaining the ABCs of LGBT, YouTube is a place where anyone can belong no matter who they are or who they love. That is why today we want to help people honor and celebrate who they’re #ProudToBe. Now, more …

From Sacramento’s ABC affiliate: The property management company and owner of the building in which Verity Baptist Church and its Pastor Roger Jimenez preside have decided not to renew the church’s lease, and have asked church officials to consider moving. While Harsch Investment Properties, owner of the Northgate Business Park where the church is located, cannot legally evict the church …

NOTE: The video of this funeral may feel intrusive to some, but it was broadcast live in Orlando with the agreement of the victim’s family. ABC News reports: Brenda Lee Marquez-McCool was dancing with her son Isaiah Henderson at Pulse nightclub when shots rang out over the blaring music. Instead of running away, she threw herself on her son, shielding …

From the San Francisco Chronicle: San Francisco public safety officials are taking no chances with this weekend’s Pride celebration after an attack this month at a gay nightclub in Orlando in which 49 people were massacred. For the first time, there will be metal detectors — a combination of walk-through machines and handheld wands — at all entry points to …

From the Associated Press: A divided Senate blocked rival election-year plans to curb guns Monday, eight days after the horror of Orlando’s mass shooting intensified pressure on lawmakers to act but knotted them in gridlock anyway — even over restricting firearms for terrorists. In largely party-line votes, senators rejected one proposal from each side to keep extremists from acquiring guns …

Via Raw Story: Pastor Donnie Romero of Stedfast Baptist Church in Fort Worth told his flock he agrees “100 percent” with Baptist Pastor Roger Jimenez, who made news with his sermon advocating that the government should use a firing squad to “blow their brains out.” “These 50 sodomites are all perverts and pedophiles, and they are the scum of the …

From the Sacramento Bee: More than 500 people gathered early Sunday morning outside the Sacramento church where last week a pastor gave an inflammatory sermon praising the massacre of LGBT people in an Orlando nightclub. Chants of “Love conquers hate” rang out when worshippers walked down the police-protected entrance to Verity Baptist church in an office park on Northgate Boulevard. …

And the NRA bears no responsibility for putting that assault weapon in his hands. CBS News reports: Appearing on “Face the Nation” Sunday, National Rifle Association Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre blamed a “politically correct” federal government for the fact that the Orlando nightclub massacre gunman was taken off an FBI watch list. He also said Americans need to be …

I can’t even imagine how many Tonys this ensemble has between them.  Via Playbill: Broadway’s biggest stars united to raise their voices in support of the victims and those wounded in the Orlando shooting massacre, the worst in U.S. history, that took place at Pulse nightclub June 12—an act that targeted LGBTQ individuals and their allies. The new benefit single, …

“Downtown Orlando has no bottom. The entire city should be leveled. It is void of a single redeeming quality. It is a melting pot of 3rd world miscreants and ghetto thugs. It is void of culture. If you live down there you do it at your own risk and at your own peril. If you go down there after dark …