Highlights from the voices that have spoken out in the wake of the mass shooting. And an invitation to be part of the conversation.
—
In the wake of news out of Orlando it fell to our CEO and Publisher, Lisa Hickey, to frame a request for submissions as the details were released.
We wish we didn’t have to have conversations about topics this difficult to talk about—but we do. We started The Good Men Project six years ago to have an ongoing worldwide conversation about the changing roles of men in the 21st century. We have since realized that that conversation informs all conversations—-and especially the conversations about who we love and who we fear. The world is changing faster than most people can process it. We remain at the forefront of these important conversations so that we, collectively, can understand the changes that are happening and remain on the side of positive change and humanity.
Included in that article is a list of “Writing Prompts” compiled by Lisa and our editors. You’ll find it here:
Call for Submissions: The Intersectionality of Violence at the Heart of Today’s Tragedy – Lisa Hickey
Here are the top articles we’ve shared as events unfolded.
A Memorial Tribute to My Brothers and Sisters in Orlando by Warren Blumenfeld
But what happened to these good souls is unfortunately nothing new. We see hate-motivated violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, and queer people and other targeted social groups on the rise. Pick up any of our publications and each week you will see stories of brutal and senseless attacks. Groups of young males wielding baseball bats and guns at anyone who looks “different,” and men waiting outside women’s spaces attacking women on their way home. Members of the trans* community often suffer the consequences of other truth tellers of the past. Nearly every two days, a person is killed somewhere in the world for expressing gender nonconformity. The vast majority of murders are trans* women of color.
When Love is Shattered by Terror and Hate by J.W. Holland
The social media frenzy was immediate, as it always is in a situation like this. What I quickly realized, however, was that my LGBT friends were noticeably silent. Other than a couple of posts about how to help victims, they weren’t talking about what happened. They weren’t speculating, they weren’t vocalizing their anger, they were just quiet. While many in the LGBT community were out holding vigils, and volunteering in any way that they could. I still wondered how they were handling this event personally. Even in their silence, I could sense the sadness.
An Orlando Theatre Professor Shares His Thoughts on the Pulse Nightclub Tragedy by John Didonna
Today Orlando lost its innocence. The rot of mass shootings has come home and the smell of it will forever live here. This is the day after a lovely young lady was shot dead after a performance at The Plaza, also here in Orlando. Today we stop as individuals, as a community, as a city, a nation and a world, and ask WHY?
The Deadly Business of Legitimizing Hate by Dixie Gillaspie
Certainly there are things in this world that warrant a healthy amount of fear. But people of a certain religion, people of a certain country of origin, people of a certain skin tone, people of a certain gender identity or sexual orientation, people of a certain style of dress, people of a certain political affiliation—those people are not what we should fear. Do you know what we should fear? We should fear people who hate, and the people who profit from a campaign that sells the idea that hate is a legitimate response—to anything.
50 More….Is Our Inaction to Blame? by Shawn Henfling
I don’t have anything new to say, and I’m not the eloquent, loquacious speaker this kind of thing deserves. I’m just some guy, sitting home, fighting back tears. How long can we keep this up? How long will we allow this to go on before we start making the changes that should have begun years ago?
After [Place of This Week’s Mass Shooting] by Ken Feinleib
As painful and futile as it sometimes seems, we need to stay engaged, to become even more engaged. Getting beaten down, losing hope, and giving up is exactly what they want us to do. And fighting amongst ourselves instead of against them. We must dry our tears, again and again and again and again, and keep trying to move forward.
Sending Love, Orlando by Dana Satterwhite
I’m having a hard time these days knowing exactly where I fit in and with whom I share any values anymore. There was a time when I knew where my friends and family stood on issues. Now, I’m just not sure and I feel an overwhelming level of sadness. I am saddened by the thought that we continue to be further divided, by politics and politicians, by the media, by soundbites, reckless and loose-at-best quoting of various religious tomes and The Constitution, by our various communities, and by ourselves.
Don’t like ads? Become a supporter and enjoy The Good Men Project ad free
What Do I Tell My LGBT Teens After the Orlando Shootings? by Sandy Roffey
And then there was a shooting in Orlando at a prominent gay club in the middle of the night. Amid news stories that mentioned the shooter’s possible ties to ISIS was the statement from his family that he had expressed hate for gays. He hated LGBTQ people–like my kids, like my family. I am not part of the LGBTQ community–I cannot imagine or feel the same pain and fear that they have when a safe space has been invaded. But as the mother of two LGBTQ teenage children, I can feel heartache and anger that I can never again tell them that there is a safe community waiting for them when they’re old enough to join it.
Today I Grieve by Whittier Strong
Today I grieve. Tomorrow I act. Because action is in such short supply. Because our imaginations have failed us to the point that we believe we can’t act. Tomorrow I act for a better world. Tomorrow I act because I am so, so tired of grieving, and I will act to create a world where we will grieve less. But today I grieve.
Orlando, LGBTQ and Mental Illness by Sean Swaby
If he was mentally ill, it is doubtful that that one factor would have motivated him to attack the nightclub. For most people who have a mental illness, their illness is internalizing (causing them to ruminate and look inwards too much) rather than externalizing (causing them to look outside and blame others). An imbalance does not equate to murder.
If you would like to add to this conversation we would like to hear what you have to say. Comment below or on any of the articles.
If you would like to submit a post for publication, our online form makes it easy. If your submission is accepted you will be matched with an editor and join our highly engaged community of writers who are part of “the conversation no one else is having.”
—
Photo: Getty Images