RI mourns Orlando, demands action at Pulse memorial service


Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387

Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 006

Rhode Island continues to respond to the terrible events that took place at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in beautiful, moving and powerful ways. Last night hundreds gathered at the Roger Williams National Memorial, the site of our state’s very first Pride event 40 years ago, in solidarity, mourning and empowerment.

With long-time LGBTQ activist Kate Monteiro acting as introduction and organizer, a series of speakers that included clergy, advocates, and government officials spoke to the crowd about LGBTQ rights, violence, homophobia, Islamophobia and guns.

Dr. Wendy Manchester Ibrahim, of the RI Council for Muslim Advancement told the crowd that she and the RI Muslim community stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ community in Rhode Island in denouncing the terrible actions of the Orlando shooter. The crowd reacted with enthusiasm and support.

Ethan Huckel, board president of TGI Network of RI, urged those in attendance to dismantle the system of oppression that allows such outrages to happen, saying, “The system is not broken. It is a system of oppression and it is working just fine. In this system, politicians use queer people as the bait to rally the hate of voters. In this system, the words “black lives matter” are seen as a threat. In this system, some schools provide education, while others funnel black bodies into prisons. In this system, trans and gender nonconforming bodies are treated like an affront to other people’s safety. In this system, women are left bruised and bleeding behind dumpsters, while the safety of white boys is protected.”

Fernando Gonzale, representing YPI (Youth Pride RI), said that the attack in Orlando compelled him to put aside his shyness and speak to the large crowd. Gonzale, a 17 year old gay Latino, said, “Unfortunately this week stopped being about marriage and rights and it turned into being about being a life and death situation, about survival.”

Both Governor Gina Raimondo and Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza called for a ban on assault rifles. Jennifer Smith Boylan, of Moms Demand Action, talked of the seeming futility of passing common sense gun legislation at the State House, where Speaker Nicholas Mattiello simply allows bills to die. State Senators Donna Nesselbush and Josh Miller left the State House while in session to join the rally, the only two General Assembly members to do so. It became clear that if Rhode wants to do something about gun violence, we’ll need a new legislature.

Below, please video and pictures of all the speakers at the memorial.

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 001

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 002

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 003

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 004

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 005

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 009

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 011

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 012

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 014

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 019

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 020

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 034

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 035

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 007

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 008

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 010

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 013

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 015

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 016

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 017

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 018

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 021

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 023

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 024

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 025

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 026

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 027

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 029

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 030

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 031

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 032

2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 033

Patreon

ProJo’s coverage of stabbing ‘disrespectful and dangerous’


Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387

Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387

2000px-Transgender_Pride_flag.svgWhen the Providence Journal first reported the story about a transgender woman stabbed early Saturday in South Providence, it not only reported her name, it reported her birth name. This is, in the words of Ethan Huckel, board president of TGI Network of RI, “disrespectful and dangerous, because it has the potential to out her as transgender.”

Huckel explained, “This is not only a violation of her privacy, but, depending on her personal circumstances, could jeopardize her safety.”

The ProJo corrected this lapse of judgement and the story no longer contains the victim’s birth name, but the click-bait titling of the story, which refers to the woman as a “transgender prostitute” is also problematic.

The ProJo provides no corroboration that the woman was a prostitute. The headline reports that “police say” the woman is a prostitute, but such a claim is both unsubstantiated and irrelevant. As Ethan Huckel again explains, referring to the victim as a prostitute “shifts the focus of the report away from the attack and insinuates that [the victim] is somehow responsible. TGI Network of RI urges the media to use restraint and critical thought when reporting on this assault.”

As a reporter I know how tempting it is to go for the easy, click bait headline, but the victim of this crime deserves our compassion and respect. She should not be reduced to an object, gratifying our salacious curiosity.

As of Tuesday the police were still working to determine if the attack was a hate crime. In deference to the victim’s privacy we have chosen not to link to the original story.

Patreon