49 Voices #11-15 - No, Totally! #124

No, Totally!

The third of a ten part series looking at the aftermath of the Pulse shooting in Orlando, solely through the voices of members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Following the shooting, I began seeing members of the community openly worrying on social media, understandably for their lives, but also about the packaging of the attack both by major news outlets and elected officials. It seemed like coverage of the shooting was overwhelmingly formatted as cisgender, heterosexual people talking about members of the queer and Latinx community rather than talking to them. After frustrating hours of fruitlessly searching for perspective from the actual communities affected, I remembered that, in this modern world, I didn't have to wait for any other outlet to have these conversations for me; I could do it myself.

As I started thinking about the project, something else became painfully obvious to me: I couldn't wrap my head around the weight of 49 lives lost. I heard about a news anchor reading all 49 names on air, and was surprised to hear that this simple act took seven minutes. That number, 49, by itself, can feel small. 49 cents, 49 seconds. I wanted to understand the enormity, the massive loss of life, by talking to 49 people who identify within the LGBTQIA+ community, to understand that weight.

The interviews here are presented chronologically by recording date. I spoke with the following people for this episode on June 14 and 15, just two and three days after the attack. They've all given permission to include their Twitter handles:

11. Emerald @emeraldleighw 12. Viktor @wondermann5 13. Chance @ChanceCalloway 14. Diana @oldadams 15. Marcus @MDameionWillis

Given the fluidity of language surrounding sexual, gender, and ethnic identities, it can be hard to find current and comprehensive resources for inclusive language. Here are a few that I've found helpful, and I'm happy to add additional resources by recommendation:

GLAAD Media Reference Guide Human Rights Campaign Glossary of Terms Teaching Tolerance: A Gender Spectrum Glossary Trans Student Educational Resources Definitions Why We Say Latinx, via Latina magazine

This episode contains the following music: "Cloud Line," "The Air Escaping," "A Path Unwinding," "Slow Toe," "Fervent" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0

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