My Memorial To Those Who Died At Pulse Night Club In Orlando

Corner of Halsted and Roscoe 2010

This is from my handwritten journal entry dated November 14, 1986. The place is Halsted Street in Chicago and the bar was called Christopher Street in 1986. Now the bar is called Hydrate. I was 43 years old then. I also call it middlescence. Sometimes it takes that long to really own who you are.

I post this to honor the lives of those lost in the attack on the Pulse Night Club in Orlando. I want to honor their courage, their search, their youth, and their openness. I also post this because catholic leaders have been negligent in recognizing that this was an attack on GLBTQ persons. It was also an attack on a place where gay men could find themselves.

I continue to remember in a private and personal way those lives lost in this horrific attack on a place of safety for gay and lesbian people and their friends.

Here is my verbatim journal entry, November 14, 1986.

Last night I walked through the door I had been standing in front of for the past week or so. I walked through it into a gay bar. It took me two hours to get up the courage to do that.

My reactions. I found a place at the bar with a bit of space around me, pulled a stool over and sat down. Shortly a man came by, put his arms around me at the shoulders from the back and I thought; “gee that was quick.” I realized I was sitting in an over the counter entrance to the back of the bar. I sat for about two hours there. I tried to observe what the protocols were. Most fellows were there with a friend. I was alone which has been part of the story. I tried to catch a couple of guys eyes but got no response. There were already a few fellows who already had too much to drink. Most were young and very good looking. They didn’t look frightened. They didn’t look particularly maladjusted. One small and very young fellow came in stood against the wall and soon was drawn into a conversation. There was something, I’m sure going on in the other part of the building. Conversation was slow for me. I think I might have been sitting next to two priests. They were a little over dressed. They never seemed to invite an opening to talking.

The US Bishops Fire Tony Spence

This is what I like to do to idiot church leaders when they make political and not pastoral decisions.

It's Done...New Vatican Ambassador To The US...Archbishop Christophe Pierre From Mexico

From The Vatican Insider On The New US Vatican Abassador

Vatican Ambassador Involved With Arrainging The Meeting Of Kim Davis With Pope Francis In September...Replaced

Some interesting news on a slow afternoon after the second super Tuesday. It's reported that Pope Francis is replacing the Vatican's nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, with the present nuncio from Mexico who is a native of France, Archbishop Christophe Pierre. According to an article in America Archbishop Christophe Pierre is an experienced diplomat. He has been the Vatican's representative in Mexico for the last nine years.

There are two sources for the story at the moment. A blogger, Aximill, at Daily Kos posted this diary "Pope fires Vatican ambassador to the U.S. over Kim Davis." The headline might be a little exaggerated, but there is interesting information in the anonymous source the diarist uses suggesting the new nuncio because of his experience in Mexico could focus on immigration issues. That could be very interesting, given candidate Trump's desire to build a wall between the US and Mexico

Link to Aximill's diary at Daily Kos

The Daily Kos blogger, Aximill, documents Vigano's behind the scenes invitation to Kim Davis to meet Pope Francis during his fall visit to the United States. The blogger also notes Vigano's staunch opposition to marriage equality.

A second source this afternoon for the story is America magazine.

Intermountain Catholic

This picture shows the new Vatican nuncio to the US  looking at a border fence in Tijuana, Mexico in 2008.  Archbishop Christophe Pierre is at the left. The other prelate is Bishop John Wester of Salt Lake City.

The Link to the America story

One Year Anniversary...Leelah Alcorn

This is the one year anniversary of the death of Leelah Alcorn, the transgendered teen who committed suicide by walking in front of a truck on Interstate 71 near Cincinnati.

The front page story in the Cincinnati Enquirer today was about Leelah Alcorn.

Today's Remembrance Of Leelah Alcorn In The Cincinnati Enquirer

Last year when I first read about this, the story dragged me out of my ignorance concerning the transgender community. I am proud that the Enquirer reported and took up this story. I think I have learned much from the newspaper's reporting. I hope this newspaper continues to report on transgender issues.

Leelah did not want her death to be in vain. Recently the City of Cincinnati passed a law banning the use of reparative therapy partly in Leelah Alcorn's memory. The resolution was introduced in the Cincinnati City Council by Chris Seelbach, the council's first openly gay city council member.

Cincinnati Bans Reparative Sexual Therapy

There are days when I feel like the history of the City of Cincinnati would want to return to the days of the 19th. century. Today I am proud that the city's leading newspaper and a member of the city council are advancing a cause, I think, that respectfully tries to listen and reflect the experiences and thinking of the people, especially sexual minorities.