Orlando shooting: why it matters that a gay Latino night was targeted
CBC Radio | Posted: June 15, 2016 12:08 PM | Last Updated: June 15, 2016
In the aftermath of the massacre in Orlando, we bring together a panel of insightful voices from the LGBT community: regular pop culture panellist Rachel Giese, writer and activist Miriam Zoila Pérez, and novelist Justin Torres.
The three join Shad to reflect on the worst shooting in U.S. history, through lenses of the arts and culture, Latino and queer communities.
They describe the power of a place where the marginalized are the majority, why this attack was so visceral within the queer community, and why the media should not glaze over identity politics of the attack.
WEB EXTRA | Here's the song Pérez chose to play in tribute: El chico del apartamento 512 by Selena, a young artist who was herself shot and killed when she was only 23 years old.
Plus, read the compelling pieces our panellists published on the heels of the Pulse nightclub shooting.
- Rachel Giese in Chatelaine: Intolerance and anti-gay rhetoric play a role in violence "Hate speech and hateful legislation are not the same as gunning down a roomful of people. But there is a relationship between them."
- Miriam Zoila Pérez in Color Lines: When the One Place That Feels Like Home is Invaded "Being queer and Latinx in the U.S. sometimes feels like it can be impossible to find our people. Now tragedy has found us."
- Justin Torres in the Washington Post: In praise of Latin Night at the Queer Club "Amid all the noise, I want to close my eyes and see you all there, dancing, inviolable, free."