“Please join us for a candellight vigil Monday in honor of those lost, injured, families, friends, and community. We will meet between 8:00-8:30pm and walk to the State House. More details will follow please share and feel free to post here. xoxo, The Dark Lady & Alleycat and Stable Family”
A Memorial Service for Pulse Massacre is being planned for Tuesday, June 14, from 6-8pm at the Roger Williams National Memorial, 282 North Main Street, Providence. Directions: https://www.nps.
The service is being co-planned by RI Pride, the Religious Coalition for a Violence-Free Rhode Island and others.
Governor Raimondo is scheduled to be at the vigil on Tuesday.
The Rhode Island State Council of Churches issued the following statement:
RI celebrates Pride this weekend. Pride will be reviewing security for the event with city and state officials today.
There is also an effort underway to remember the victims of the Pulse shooting by wearing black armbands at Pride this weekend. The following note has been making the rounds on Facebook.
“In response to the hate crime at Pulse Orlando, Rhode Island community members have entered a group in the Pride Parade this Saturday, to remember the victims of hate crimes and celebrate Queer and Trans resilience.
You will recognize us at the staging area by our signs. All are welcome to join. All are also encouraged to make signs.
“This is an apolitical contingent, so please let your signage reflect the theme of remembrance and resilience.
Please note that the night of the attack was Latinx night, and largely attended by People of Color, who are not only disproportionately victims of this attack but of anti-Queer/Trans hate crimes in general. So let your signage reflect themes of intersectionality in addition to remembrance and resilience.
“There will be black arm bands available for everyone, including those who are already committed to other groups but wish to observe in that way.”
Representative James Langevin issued the following statement:
“We awoke today to another headline about senseless violence, and yet we are astonished and heartbroken once again with news of the worst mass shooting in United States history. We can never understand or explain the hate that drives someone to commit an atrocity such as this. What we need right now is to reach out to those affected and show our support, because while we mourn as a nation, we cannot allow hate to invade our own hearts or minds. America is better than that.
“This is a tragedy beyond comprehension, and I join the chorus of prayers for both the families of the victims and also the injured who continue to suffer. I pray that no more lives are lost in the wake of this attack.
“My heart breaks for Orlando, and for the LGBT community nationwide. We recognize Pride Month in June, and last night’s shooting was an attack on the very values for which Pride Month stands. The victims were gathered in what should have been a safe space for them to be true to themselves and celebrate our shared belief that all people should be treated equally, and no one should be subjected to violence or discrimination.
“The details of the case continue to unfold, but I have every confidence that local law enforcement, in conjunction with the FBI, will fully investigate what is believed to be an act of terrorism. As a senior member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, I will monitor the investigation closely and in the coming weeks and months I hope my colleagues will come together and take action to ensure we no longer have to wake to headlines of violence. For now, we pray for Orlando, but prayers alone are not enough.”
The Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence (RICAGV) has issued the following statement:
“The tragedy in Orlando, Florida is just the latest reminder that access to deadly weapons of war like the AR-15 has irreversible consequences. The families and friends of the 103 victims will be forever affected and forever wondering why. Our lax gun laws turned hatred into horrific violence in Orlando last night.
“Once again, our Senators and Congressmen send out their tweets, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims of this horrendous act in ______________________(fill in the blank).
“The RI Coalition Against Gun Violence is demanding that instead of offering “thoughts and prayers” to the 103 victims of the recent Florida shooting, the general assembly starts voting bills out of committee to make all Rhode Islanders safer.
“Many States including Massachusetts and Connecticut have laws to prevent domestic violence abusers from access to guns. Many States including Massachusetts and Connecticut have banned High capacity magazines. Almost every State including Massachusetts and Connecticut do not allow concealed carry of firearms on K-12 School property.
“Yet, for 3 years in a row, these bills are being “held for further study” here in Rhode Island. You can study your way through law school in three years.
“How much more study do we need to pass common sense legislation to keep guns away from domestic violence abusers (HB 7283, SB2730)? Do we need to wait any longer to ban high capacity magazines over 10 rounds (HB 7199/SB 2835)? Do we need to wait for a tragedy at our K-12 School grounds before we pass HB 7243/ SB 2761)?
“We are urging the Governor, the Speaker and the Senate President to do everything necessary to have these bills voted out of committee. It is time for the Judiciary Committees to stop hiding behind a pretext of study. In a recent poll, the vast majority of Rhode Islanders said they want a vote. It is time to respect not only their wishes but their health and safety as well. We want a vote.
“The Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence is an organization that was created by concerned citizens of Rhode Island. The organization came to be in 2013 after the Rhode Island General Assembly failed to pass common sense gun legislation. We recognize gun violence as a public health issue. Using common sense means and methods, we seek to reduce injuries and deaths from gun violence.”
Representative David Cicilline‘s statement on the Pulse Tragedy:
“Like all Rhode Islanders, I am keeping the people of Orlando, the victims, their families and loved ones in my thoughts and prayers today.”
“It’s outrageous that LGBT Americans continue to be the targets of such horrific hatred and violence in 2016. Don’t let anyone tell you that we have full equality in this country. LGBT people are not political wedge issues – we are human beings and we are entitled to full equality under the law. I hope that, in the aftermath of this horrific shooting, our country will move towards greater love and acceptance of all Americans.”
“Lastly, it is absolutely infuriating to read reports that this shooter used an assault weapon to murder 50 innocent people and wound 53 more. It just should not be this easy for someone to walk into a gun store and walk out armed with a weapon of war that is designed to kill as many people as quickly as possible.”
“As we saw in Charleston last year, lone wolf terrorists are a threat to all of us. We simply cannot continue to live in a country where it’s easier to buy an AR-15 than it is to buy cold medicine.
“Access to these weapons is a threat to our public safety, and it’s time for Republicans in Congress to come to the table and restore some sanity to our nation’s gun laws.”
Full video and statement from President Barrack Obama on the tragedy here.
Senator Jack Reed writes, “This was a horrific attack. Our condolences go out to the victims and their families, and our thanks to the brave first responders and fellow citizens who did everything they could to help. While investigators are still gathering all the facts, the shooter was clearly a hate-filled individual. His bigotry has no place in our society. We are a resilient nation and we stand in solidarity with the LGBT community. Right now there are more questions than answers, but law enforcement will get to the bottom of this and every federal resource will be made available to ensure they do.”
Speaker Nicholas Mattiello wrote his first ever tweet about the tragedy, but some took issue with the Speaker, asking him to pass some common sense gun bills out of committee and bring them to the floor for a vote.
GPSJenn wrote, “@RISpeaker thoughts & prayers? That’s all you got? U r a lawmaker. Make some laws. Shooter was a wife beater. Pass H7575 to make #RI safer.”
His A+ rating from the NRA was noted as well.
Governor Gina Raimondo has ordered that all flags be lowered to half-mast “until sunset on June 16, 2016 in honor of the victims of the shooting in Orlando.” This is in accordance with President Barrack Obama‘s national proclamation.
Her full statement:
“In accordance with a Presidential Proclamation, Governor Gina M. Raimondo has ordered U.S. and Rhode Island flags to be flown at half-staff at all state facilities and buildings. The flags will remain at half-staff until sunset on June 16, 2016 in honor of the victims of the shooting in Orlando.
“‘We woke up this morning to horrific news – a senseless, cowardly mass shooting in Orlando. It’s an act of terror. It’s an act of hatred. And it has no place in our communities. Like so many, I feel incredible sadness and outrage,’ Raimondo said.
“‘Our prayers are with the victims and their loved ones, but we must do more than pray. It is time to take greater action to keep America safe,’ Raimondo continued. ‘I also want our LGBT brothers and sisters in Rhode Island to know that our hearts are with you – we will redouble our efforts to keep you safe and free from fear, and commit to building a more peaceful, more tolerant society.’
“There are no specific threats in Rhode Island at this time, but the Governor remains in close touch with Colonel O’Donnell of the State Police, and security efforts will be increased around Pride festivities.
“Raimondo also asks Rhode Islanders to lower their flags as a mark of respect.”
RI Pride‘s statement on the tragedy in Orlando can be read here.
In the wake of the terrible incident at the Orlando nightclub, AIDS Project RI and the Family Services of RI shared some tips:
A Memorial Service for Pulse Massacre is planned for Tuesday, June 14, from 6-8pm at the Roger Williams National Memorial, 282 North Main Street, Providence. Directions: https://www.nps.
The service is being co-planned by RI Pride, the Religious Coalition for a Violence-Free Rhode Island and others.
Governor Gina Raimondo is scheduled to be there.
Monteiro, who has been on the front lines of the fight for gay rights in Rhode Island for decades, will be presented with the prestigious “Pyramid of Pride” award.
“Kate’s tireless advocacy for the state’s LGBT community dates back more than 30 years and while no one individual could ever be said to be the single leading light of the struggle for gay rights in Rhode Island, her name would unquestionably come up for consideration in any such discussion,” RI Pride said in a press release. “In 2015, the year that has seen nationwide legalization of gay marriage, it is only fitting that the Pyramid of Pride award should go to Kate Monteiro.”
Monteiro said of the honor,”It sounds like cliche to say I stand on the shoulders of giants. But the truth is I have been blessed to have been born and raised in this time and place – to be witness to such great changes, and to have worked shoulder to shoulder with so many great RI activists – a great number of the straight allies who took our cause as their own. You can’t ask for a better place to raise some hell than the Greatest Little State!”
Ahlquist, a journalist for RI Future and a well-respected community activist, is being honored with the “Spirit of Pride” award.
“Steve has tirelessly covered any and all LGBT events from marriage equality testimony in the Statehouse to rallies against hate crimes and efforts to promote transgender health,” said RI Pride of Ahlquist. “His activism is by no means limited to the gay community as he also advocates workers’ rights, efforts against homelessness, and other social justice issues including those that affect women, racial minorities, and any other marginalized groups in the state. Steve is primarily known as one of the founders of the Humanists of Rhode Island and was honored as their Humanist of the Year in 2014. Rhode Island Pride takes great pleasure in following the Humanists and designating Steve Ahlquist as the recipient of the Spirit of Pride Award in 2015.”
Ahlquist said, “I am deeply honored and humbled to be recognized by RI PRIDE. I will treasure this award and let it remind me every day that there are countless people without voice seeking liberation and equality. I see it it as my duty, as a journalist, not to provide the voice, but to provide the microphone, the amplifier, through which these voices can be heard. I won’t stop.”
The gala will also feature food and live music. Click on the image for more information:
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“Each year we are inching closer to full legislative equality. But legislative equality does not equal acceptance and it does not equal security. With the constant attacks around women’s rights, Transgender rights, racial disparity, HIV criminalization, immigrant’s rights, income inequality, poverty and homelessness, we need to wake up to the fact that marriage equality, while important, is in some respects just the shiny object that the government is dangling in front of us while leading us off the edge of a cliff.
“This is not our end game. It never has been.
“The term IndiVISIBLE was meant in part as a shout-out to the SCOTUS case, because when one hears the word ‘IndiVISIBLE’ one typically thinks of the phrase that follows it, ‘with liberty and justice for all.’
“But the teem IndiVISIBLE was also suggested to remind that without equal attention paid to all these other issues that affect us, without a shift of focus beyond marriage rights and onto a broader queer convergence movement, we really have nothing.”
Maselli’s words were just the beginning. He then introduced Josh Kilby, who began his talk with “Happy pride, comrades!” Kilby talked about the gains made in recent years by the LGBTQ community in terms of military service (unless you are Trans) but pointed out that the community “fought this battle without questioning the utter devastation the U.S. Empire causes around the world.”
The new frontier of the Queer rights movement, said Kilby, is that, “We stand in unconditional solidarity with ‘Black Lives Matter,’ for unrestricted, free abortion on demand and without apology, for free access to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis to anyone who feels they need it and without judgement, and most importantly, we do not tolerate racism, sexism, transphobia in our community at all.”
R. (Ronald) Lewis, poet and performer, then delivered a blistering broadside, that has to be heard to be experienced. Lewis goes after capitalism, which, “commodifies the unconquerable” and he goes after the sanitized history of the Stonewall Riot, pointing out that Stonewall is now a place that celebrates “Gay” liberation without mention of, as Rachel Simon says in her piece, “Sylvia Riviera and Marsha P. Johnson, two trans women of color who were the first to resist arrest on the fateful night.”
When I first arrived at Pride, Anthony Maselli told me that I should be at the stage at 4:30, because he was part of a plan to “radicalize Pride.” It’s this next bit that stirred to crowd to wild cheers, and outraged protest. When Maselli said, “It’s time for us to dispel the bitter myth that we, (the queer community) are all men, all wealthy, and all white, because that is not the majority of who we are,” a man in the crowd shouted, without apparent irony, “That’s a lie! You don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“We are under attack,” said Maselli, “by the religious, cultural, economic and political right that targets LGBTQ people, women’s economic, reproductive and sexual freedoms, and is organized around a racalized notion of national culture. A religious freedom framework is being deployed to undermine all civil rights laws.”
Maselli asks, “Rhode Island has marriage, now where do we go from here?” and answers, “We are queering living wages, access to health care and transgender justice. Queering total immigration reform and ending incarceration. We are queering feminism, queering the way we talk about race, queering HIV activism, queering heteronormative ideas of marriage and couplehood, queerly engaging in radical protest, getting old queerly. We need to create a movement that says not only, ‘We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it’ but one that says “Join us, dream with us, dare with us, go for broke, and change the world.’
“What if IndiVISIBLE was more than just a word printed on a tee shirt, what if this was our queer vision for what we do next?”
]]>[Note: About half of the photos above were taken and selected by Katherine Ahlquist]
]]>When I think about our state, and the 30+ thousand people who will come here for Rhode Island Pride weekend, I feel overwhelmed and personally grateful that a lonely and isolated gay boy from a violent, fundamentalist household in Newington, Connecticut, could move to a city only 80 miles east, and find a home here with people who love and support me. For most of my life, I had no sense of connection to the terms “community” or “family”. It was a long and intense struggle, but finally, I have been able to find those things here.
For every one of me though, there are so many more who will never have that opportunity.
There’s a transgender girl out there living in darkness and depression, who will commit suicide before she can graduate high school, because her parents and her church will tell her that that which she has no control over is an abomination, and her classmates and teachers will convince her that she is a freak and a mistake.
There’s a queer Black young man out there who, unable to find intersectional support in a society of singular identity politics, has already given up on planning a future because the concurrence of being a racial and sexual minority places him in multiple zones of peril that frustrate any hope of achievement.
These are not isolated cases; and these are not hypothetical situations- these are American realities.
We have some questions we must ask ourselves:
How could we continue to advocate for marriage equality and LGBTQ inclusion in general, but remain afraid to discuss issues of gender and race within our own community?
How can a dialogue about the experiences of LGBTQ people of color inform our work within the larger queer communities?
How can our successes in advancing LGBTQ inclusion enhance our advocacy for racial and gender equity?
How can arguments for LGBTQ inclusion be used to shift our discussions about race and gender in creative and more effective directions?
By attending to these questions framed by intersectionality, we shift the dialogue to move beyond single labels for us all, and better advance a true and inclusive diversity agenda.
When I suggested the term “Indivisible” for this year’s Pride theme, I meant for it not simply to promote a sense of unity, but to really challenge us to ask these questions, to allow a conceptualization of diversity that moves beyond binary dimensions, and expands to include a three-dimensional sense of self and community.
In closing, I’m going to share with you one of my favorite quotes by Sir Winston Churchill as the rainbow pride flag is unfurled down these steps, but I first want to acknowledge all of the effort that has been made, and that will continue to be made, by some of the people here today.
At times we can become discouraged and lose hope at the slow speed of progress despite our fullest investment. Sometimes, we can put all of our energy behind a cause and still not be rewarded with visible change in our lifetime. But we continue to do it anyway. And it is words like these that encourage us to keep going:
]]>What is the use of living, if it be not to strive for noble causes and to make this world a better place for those who will live in it after we are gone? How else can we put ourselves in harmonious relation with the great verities and consolations of the infinite and eternal? And I avow my faith that we are marching toward better days. Humanity will not be cast down. We are going on swinging bravely forward along the grand high road, and already behind the distant mountains is the promise of the sun.”
Kurt Bagley, president of Rhode Island Pride, introduced the mayor who spoke of Providence as a city that is accepting and supportive of people regardless of their sexual orientation. Elorza was especially proud of his recent move to include transition-related healthcare coverage for all city employees, current and retired, who identify as transgender or gender non-conforming.
The mayor noted that RI PrideFest and the Illuminated Night Time Pride Parade was coming up in two weeks, (June 20) but called special attention to his signature 2015 Providence International Arts Festival, which will will take up the length of Washington St and much of Kennedy Plaza next week.