Discussion
  • Read More
    jinniJulianne Escobedo Shepherd
    6/13/16 10:37pm

    .

    Reply
    <
    • Read More
      Julianne Escobedo Shepherdjinni
      6/13/16 10:39pm

      thank you. i love you. you are blessed.

      Reply
      <
    • Read More
      jinniJulianne Escobedo Shepherd
      6/13/16 10:45pm

      All love back to you, angel on this earth.

      And thank you. For everything.

      Reply
      <
  • Read More
    KK4BamaJulianne Escobedo Shepherd
    6/13/16 10:37pm

    From the vigil tonight in Birmingham, AL. There were a few hundred people. Also note that this is the first time in history that city hall has displayed a rainbow flag on their property.

    Reply
    <
    • Read More
      iroqdemicKK4Bama
      6/13/16 10:41pm

      Oh Birmingham, this is lovely.

      Reply
      <
    • Read More
      cuterthananinteruteran4KK4Bama
      6/13/16 10:44pm

      wow. wow, wow, wow.

      Reply
      <
  • Read More
    deerlady83Julianne Escobedo Shepherd
    6/13/16 10:45pm

    One of my former students went to a local vigil for Orlando. He is only a sophomore. He came out in middle school. I'm happy he feels comfortable enough to do it but I worry for him. I know his mother is proud of him and she worries for him, too.

    Reply
    <
    • Read More
      mollymlf05deerlady83
      6/13/16 10:49pm

      I want to hug your student.

      Reply
      <
    • Read More
      deerlady83mollymlf05
      6/13/16 11:01pm

      That boy is a good egg. He is sweet and kind. He stands up for himself.

      Reply
      <
  • Read More
    KorraJulianne Escobedo Shepherd
    6/13/16 11:51pm

    I was just there. It was powerful and beautiful and even though I was alone it felt like everyone was related. We were, in a way. Everyone was so polite and quiet. Even the angry chanting (politicians were politicking and we didn’t want that shit, we wanted a vigil and to hear the names of our dead) was done with a touch of humor and love.

    I often feel isolated from the queer community. Most of my queer friends are abroad or busy and I’m a cisbi femme woman with a cishet masc bf, so if I didn’t tell you you’d think I was just an ally. I sat out of Pride last year largely because of that sense of alienation.

    But the community tonight made me feel like the largely (around me anyway) white gay crowd had my bi chicana back. That they would protect me as cousins protect cousins and it was so so healing and cathartic you have no idea.

    Reply
    <
    • Read More
      CarrieA6hatesportmanteauxKorra
      6/14/16 4:30am

      Thanks for telling us about it. Love you.

      Reply
      <
    • Read More
      KenderKorra
      6/14/16 10:04am

      I’m in a similar place, most of my queer friends are abroad now and I’m a cis bi femme woman with a very straight cis male fiancé. I made an effort yesterday to go to my city’s vigil and I’m so glad I did. We’re really one big extended LGBT+ family and it was good to be with my family, even if I didn’t know anyone there at first (it turned out my uncle’s husband was there, so then I was also with family in the more traditional sense of the word!). Be safe, cousin.

      Reply
      <
  • Read More
    IveeJulianne Escobedo Shepherd
    6/13/16 11:32pm

    I have a gay stepson. Actually, he’s become more like the son I didn’t give birth to. He came out at 14, about 8 months before I started dating his father and finally met him, way back in early 2003. He’s one of the dearest people in my life, and despite the fact that he’s not a bar guy (barely drinks at all), and he’s been with his equally not-a-bar-guy partner for six years, I still worry about them. They’re a long-haul couple, and I still fear that hateful people will do these two peaceful souls harm because, for the haters, love only belongs to the people they say it does.

    Reply
    <
    • Read More
      blackberrypieIvee
      6/14/16 12:49am

      For the haters, love doesn’t belong to anyone at all, least of all themselves—- which is a big part of the problem. I wish you, your stepson & his partner light and love in this journey we call life.

      Reply
      <
  • Read More
    mollymlf05Julianne Escobedo Shepherd
    6/13/16 10:43pm

    I stumbled upon a small street corner memorial in Boystown (Chicago) on my evening walk with candles, flowers, rainbow flags, and signs. It always feels cathartic to know that we are not alone in this world and that our neighbors mourn with us. Someone even left a box of Kleenex that said “Take One” on the side.

    Reply
    <
    • Read More
      LutefiskatKvothe'sJulianne Escobedo Shepherd
      6/13/16 11:08pm

      I know it’s easy to be cynical about our current political climate but one can only hope some good comes from this tragedy. This was absolutely beautiful btw.

      Reply
      <
      • Read More
        Al b sureLutefiskatKvothe's
        6/13/16 11:20pm

        Yeah this is really nice and beautiful. As someone who been angered by this senseless act im glad for once in the last two days I could let my anger go.

        Reply
        <
      • Read More
        blackberrypieLutefiskatKvothe's
        6/14/16 12:58am

        I agree-the good could be the tipping point of outrage for the general public to finally rail against the NRA and make reasonable gun legislation. It’s not ideal, but it’s a start. If fucking Australia could do it within a couple of decades (and they are largely drunken obnoxious uncultured assholes just like us—so sorry my Aussie brethren) we can turn this shit around too. Let’s get the insane politicians who are against any type of gun restrictions out of Congress and vote in representatives & senators who haven’t been busy suckling the fecund teat of the NRA and their lobbyists. That would be a start.

        Reply
        <
    • Read More
      cuterthananinteruteran4Julianne Escobedo Shepherd
      6/13/16 10:58pm
      “presente” really got me right in the gut. just lost it. didn’t realize how hard i’d been working to hold it together.
      Reply
      <
      • Read More
        Mike Pipper Super GIF EnthusiastJulianne Escobedo Shepherd
        6/14/16 10:45am

        I am... such a moron.

        I met up with one of my trans* friends at the vigil in Center City last night and listened to her rage and terror and her inability to grieve because of her lack of a safe space. Even among her community she felt more exposed than ever. I told her that I couldn’t even begin to understand what she was going through, but that I loved her and that I’d always have her back. And when we parted ways I’d said...

        “Be safe.”

        Because it was automatic.

        Because I’d said the same to my roomie who had gone to the beach for the night.

        And it was thoughtless...

        I hadn’t realized that the only place she COULD HAVE felt safe was taken away from her, that I hadn’t really listened to her vent. That I was an ass...

        I’ll just have to do better... BE better.

        GIF
        Reply
        <
        • Read More
          KaizykatJulianne Escobedo Shepherd
          6/14/16 11:34am

          Savannah, GA organized an impromptu vigil on Sunday. Although there were only a little over 100 of us (I think there would have been a lot more if the college students were still there), it was amazingly cathartic.

          Unfortunately, I had to leave for Florida the next day and now I’m back in an area where there is no community. I think I’ll be spending a lot of time in St. Petersburg this summer.

          Reply
          <