Update, 21 June: This issue is getting more contentious by the day. An interview by Univision (additional reporting) of a man claiming to be Mateen’s former friend-with-benefits has been released, again suggesting the circumstances described in this post. I suspect I’ll need to do a follow-up post when all this dust settles.
Update, 20 June: Various sources now have contradictory information about the Pulse Orlando gunman. U.S. government agencies claim there was no connection from him either to ISIL/ISIS or to gay hookup apps, e.g., he acted in isolation and was not actually a regular at the club. With this context added, I am leaving this post as it was originally written, because it still has an important message to convey.
I’m still fidgeting with the wedding ring on my left hand way too much. It feels alien to be there all the time, because I’ve only been wearing it for ten months. This despite the fact that Adam and I are only one month short of our twentieth real anniversary, since the simple act of marrying my husband wasn’t legal here until last year.
After the events of this past weekend, when nearly 50 people were gunned down in an Orlando, Florida gay bar, I longed to get back to writing. The massacre hit a little close to home, because it wasn’t so long ago that I was living in Orlando myself and scared for my future.
So with this post, I reopen my heart and my blog.
Post edited on 19 June to clarify the killer’s mental justification, with related reporting on intelligence agency reports.
Continue reading “The Pulse Orlando massacre: proof that gay bashing is alive and well”