Disney, Comcast NBCUniversal, Orlando Magic and more make donations #WeAreOrlando

www.glaad.org/blog/disney-comcast-nbcuniversal-orlando-magic-and-more-make-donations-weareorlando

How Orlando Is Helping the Pulse Shooting Victims

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. 

www.advocate.com/crime/2016/6/16/how-orlando-helping-pulse-shooting-victims

Coroner's Chilling Description of Pulse Brings You Where 'Time Stood Still'

The medical examiner describes visiting the nightclub as part of his job identifying the 49 victims.

www.advocate.com/media/2016/6/16/coroners-chilling-description-pulse-brings-you-where-time-stood-still

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.

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.

4. Girls, girls, girls

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

New Orleans Pride Parade on Bourbon Street being led by a giant rainbow flag.

(Top photo courtesy Paul Broussard)

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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.

Related: The Heartbreaking Story Of The Mother Who Died Saving Her Son In Orlando Attack

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.”

Related: If Only There Was Something We Could Do About Mass Shootings. Oh Wait, Sam Bee Gets It.

FOX 31-TV also 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.”

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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.

The Washington Post reports: 

“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

— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) June 16, 2016

[Image via Wikipedia]

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Anonymous Hacks ISIS Twitter Accounts, Makes Them Super Gay 

Hacktivist members of the group Anonymous have taken over several pro-ISIS Twitter accounts and filled them with images of gay pride following the Orlando massacre.

The Orlando shooter reportedly swore allegiance to ISIS in a phone call to 911 during his attack on the gay nightclub, Pulse.

ISIS has a history of brutally killing people it claims are gay.

CBS News reports: 

Following the shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando — which the FBI is investigating as both a hate crime and an ISIS-inspired terror attack — the Anonymous hacker started to infiltrate pro-ISIS accounts and then post images of rainbow flags, non-graphic gay pornography and slogans such as “I’m gay and I’m proud.”

The pro-ISIS accounts that were hacked were all renamed “Jacked by a Ghost” and most linked to CIA.gov. While some of the hacked accounts have been suspended, some still exist, according to CBS San Francisco.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the Anonymous hacker Twitter account appeared to still be at it, tweeting its successful takeover of the Twitter account @islamsunna111, with an IP address in Oman, and peppering that account with slogans such as “Make love, not war” and “#MoreSex #LessDeath #ISIS #ISIL #IslamicState.”

Hacker WauchulaGhost is behind most of the attacks.

Via Techly: 

For instance, he broke into ISIS account, @gi_h_a_d35, changed his profile picture to a gay flag and tweeted out this message:

“Hello World. It’s time I share with you a little secret…I’m Gay and I’m Proud!! #GayPride #OrlandoWillNotBeForgotten !!! #GhostOfNoNation.”

WauchulaGhost has also been tweeting out their IP addresses, phone numbers and other contact information for fellow hackers to use.

Explaining his motivation, he/she said:

I did it for the lives lost in Orlando.

Daesh [ISIS] have been spreading and praising the attack, so I thought I would defend those that were lost. The taking of innocent lives will not be tolerated.

Our actions are directed at Jihadist extremists. Many of our own [group of hackers] are Muslim and we respect all religions that do not take innocent lives.

Check out some tweets by WauchulaGhost, below.

For you #Orlando. #Daesh in Iraq @gi_h_a_d35 #OpDaesh #Anonymous #GhostOfNoNation pic.twitter.com/LGI9fRVpA4

— WauchulaGhost (@WauchulaGhost) June 14, 2016

#Daesh in #Irag @dygft9uy4 Still remembering those we lost. #Orlando #OpDaesh #Anonymous #GhostOfNoNation pic.twitter.com/ZdxXL4y6Y6

— WauchulaGhost (@WauchulaGhost) June 16, 2016

#DaeshBag in #Oman. @islamsunna111. IP’s in Image. Make Love, Not War. #ISIS #OpDaesh #Anonymous #GhostOfNoNation pic.twitter.com/W1JuK8H0ti

— WauchulaGhost (@WauchulaGhost) June 15, 2016

#DaeshBag in #Saudi @zxmgklb #RxpectUs #OpDaesh #Anonymous #GhostOfNONation pic.twitter.com/lQQv1VLkxh

— WauchulaGhost (@WauchulaGhost) June 15, 2016

Keeping the thoughts and prayers going. #Daesh In #Jordan. @0Jdkshey #Orlando. #OpDaesh #Anonymous #GhostOfNoNation pic.twitter.com/UCrBTFcBMD

— WauchulaGhost (@WauchulaGhost) June 14, 2016

Also, this image from 2015 has been recirculating as well.

@RyanBarrell your wish is my command lol. pic.twitter.com/PvFngPfwAP

— Angela Korras (@AngelaKorras) August 27, 2015

The post Anonymous Hacks ISIS Twitter Accounts, Makes Them Super Gay  appeared first on Towleroad.

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JetBlue Passengers and Crew Comfort Grieving Grandmother of Orlando Victim

A grieving grandmother found unexpected comfort and support from the crew and passengers aboard her JetBlue flight to Orlando, where she was headed to attend her grandson’s funeral.

In the wake of the Orlando massacre, JetBlue announced it would offer free flights for families of the victims who were traveling to say goodbye to their loved ones.

Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo (above) was one of the youngest victims of the mass shooting, aged only 20 years-old, and when JetBlue crew member Kelly Davis Kara learned his grandmother was aboard a flight she was working she decided to rally the plane behind her.

CNN reports:

Karas passed around a piece of paper for passengers to sign so their words might ease the grandmother’s aching heart.

As Karas pushed the beverage cart down the plane’s aisle, she whispered to passengers about the paper. Halfway down the aisle, another crew member on board said more paper was needed. Instead of signing their names and moving on, passengers were writing paragraphs—long notes of compassion, grief and strength.

“When we gathered them together to present them to her, we didn’t have just a sheet of paper covered in names, which is what I had envisioned. Instead, we had page after page after page after page of long messages offering condolences, peace, love and support. There were even a couple of cash donations, and more than a few tears,”  Karas wrote on Facebook.

Karas also said on Facebook, 

“As we deplaned, EVERY SINGLE PERSON STOPPED TO OFFER HER THEIR CONDOLENCES. Some just said they were sorry, some touched her hand, some hugged her, some cried with her. But every single person stopped to speak to her, and not a single person was impatient at the slower deplaning process.”

Karas also announced over the plane’s loud speaker that “We stand with Orlando” and also had a moment of silence in honor of Omar.

RIP Omar.

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