Orlando Shooting At Gay Nightclub "Pulse". Omg!

[peterh6308]

I don't understand why you felt compelled to start a new thread with this same posting and then on that new thread not allow us to respond to it there.

Moreover the Broke Straight Boys forum member who apparently catfished was suspicious to me from almost the beginning of his time here and I shared my concern with mikey. He and others were enamored with this person's stories which I perceived to be just that - stories - with no proof of their veracity. That's easy for me to do because I am naturally cynical and distrusting of claims people make which can not be proven. (I guess a product of the time I spent lobbying during a large part of my professional business career.) But using this tragedy to take his catfishing to such a sick level shows the mental depravity of whoever that person is.

You mention a JustUsBoys forum member, I have no idea what you are talking about there.

not trying to jump on any Spartan bashing wagon, but I stopped reading his stuff a few months back. In a story he wrote about hooking up with a straight guy in Chicago was actually believable until he said they fucked 7 times in 3 days. Come on now!!! I'm sort of snooping around to ask some questions to Tyler through some guys I know to see if this guy is real or not. Will let you know

 

[mikeyank]

not trying to jump on any Spartan bashing wagon, but I stopped reading his stuff a few months back. In a story he wrote about hooking up with a straight guy in Chicago was actually believable until he said they fucked 7 times in 3 days. Come on now!!! I'm sort of snooping around to ask some questions to Tyler through some guys I know to see if this guy is real or not. Will let you know

As we've had many Tyler's on the site, to clarify Peter is referring to Tyler White who is also from Boston and Spartans had told us they attended a Patriot's game together.

 

[admin]

I don't understand why you felt compelled to start a new thread with this same posting and then on that new thread not allow us to respond to it there.

I didn't start a new thread. I created an announcement that led with a direct link to the thread. The hierarchy in the software is:
vBulletin --> Announcement --> Forums --> Threads --> Posts

Announcements aren't conversations so even if I wanted to allow replies, it's not possible given the functionality of the software.

We have six different forums and the announcement which supersedes forums, appears at the top of all 6 of them directing everyone to this centralized thread if they want to discuss.

 

[mikeyank]

We have six different forums and the announcement which supersedes forums, appears at the top of all 6 of them directing everyone to this centralized thread if they want to discuss.

Being the yenta I am Bryce, I am curious as to other forums than Broke Straight Boys & JustUsBoys?????

 

[admin]

Being the yenta I am Bryce, I am curious as to other forums than Broke Straight Boys & JustUsBoys?????

It is a little confusing, ha ha. I hate to derail from the main topic, but Broke Straight Boys and JustUsBoys would actually be considered websites or "communities" according to the software, vbulletin. So speaking just from a technical standpoint, these are the forums i was referring to according to the software. I'll share a screenshot from the admin to illustrate what I mean:

 

[mikeyank]

It is a little confusing, ha ha. I hate to derail from the main topic, but Broke Straight Boys and JustUsBoys would actually be considered websites or "communities" according to the software, vbulletin. So speaking just from a technical standpoint, these are the forums i was referring to according to the software. I'll share a screenshot from the admin to illustrate what I mean:

View attachment 14224

I do appreciate your entertaining my yenta side Bryce. I think I now understand but I am wondering what "Muk A Muk" is but that may not be for members. I will stop asking questions.......for today .

But I always appreciate it when someone from management actually entertains my questions. Thank you.

 

[tampa24]

You mention a JustUsBoys forum member, I have no idea what you are talking about there.

I can only speculate Stowe. But I suspect that Sparty was also a member of the JustUsBoys forum and his "brother" also sent a frantic message over there to the administrator of that site announcing the demise of Sparty.

But of course JustUsBoys is a part of the same BluMedia company of Broke Straight Boys and College Dudes.

 

[tampa24]

As many of you know, Louis left Broke Straight Boys a couple months ago mostly for financial reasons. He has remained in touch with us and misses the site. As a fellow Floridian he has also been deeply affect by the events of this weekend. Some things he has posted elsewhere on this topic I have felt compelled to share here with others.

From Louis:

Interview this morning with Barbara Poma, owner of the Pulse.

http://www.today.com/video/pulse-nig...n-705150531852

 

[tampa24]

A message from Louis:

"Please feel free to share any and everything I have posted here with the family over at Broke Straight Boys Please tell them that hopefully I can come back around mid summer or late summer as soon as I get my finances settled. Tell them I miss them. I may be gone but I am not far away. If anyone wants to contact me, my email addy is listed on my profile there.

We are Family. Together we stand strong and we shall prevail.

Offer them my wishes of Peace and Love!"

 

[tampa24]

Wow!

Did you happen to see the interview on CNN where Anderson Cooper tore into Pam Bondi our infamous State Attorney General? She has been a die-hard Republican who defiantly blocked gay marriage in Florida with vigor and passion. Even after the U.S. Supreme Court told Florida they had to allow gay marriage, her office still fought the ruling for several months. Such that a judge told the state of Florida that not only was their last-minute stonewalling of the U.S.S.C. decision effective (in Florida) in January of 2014, not going to work, but that state taxpayers would have to pay legal fees and penalties for essentially wasting the court's time. Cooper set aside journalistic impartiality and really went after her for claiming now that she wants to give so much support to Florida citizens of the LGBT community. I (almost) felt a little bit sorry for her. But mostly I cheered him on in calling her out. Her fight against LGBT civil rights for tax-paying citizens of the state is not ancient history. It goes back less than a year and farther back to 6 years of her tenure in the job.

 

[tampa24]

Here's the interview I'm talking about:

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/14/politics/pam-bondi-anderson-cooper-gay-rights-orlando/index.html

 

[tampa24]

Louis felt that I should cut here a little bit of slack because we shouldn't judge someone (as an individual) based on the job they are hired or elected to do.

Here is my response to that:

You make a very good philosophical point Louis. Sometimes the requirements of the job you're hired to do will conflict with your own conscience. As a Republican she has to toe the line with the far right and the tea partyers. Now with a non-Republican having hijacked the Republican nomination and claiming to espouse the cause of gay civil rights, the textbook homophobic Republican talking points no longer apply to this situation. Hating or at least disliking gay people has been a very comfortable part of their ideology for over a century. Now they are in disarray.

I think with Pam Bondi that this tragedy has affected her. Now that the national mood has shifted into grief and anger over an attack on U.S. (and Florida) soil, by someone who feels a strong affinity with Islamic terrorism, I think she genuinely finds herself swept up in that national mood. The truth still remains though that between Governor Rick Scott and State Attorney General Pam Bondi, no two political officers over the last almost 6 years have been more antagonistic and unrelenting in slowing the advance of civil rights for gay citizens of Florida. She has not served her gay citizens well.

If the office of Pam Bondi turns a new leaf and shows that her office, in its capacity of representing the citizens of the state of Florida, also fully protects the legal rights of its gay citizens...I stand fully ready to put aside the past and embrace her as a new friend and ally. Having said that, the ball is still in her court. It's easy to get in front of cameras and express platitudes of sympathy and grief for victims. The test will come in what happens next week, next month and next year.

The fact that much of mainstream America is outraged and grieving over the loss of mostly gay and Hispanic citizens I believe is a watershed moment in the American Experience. The is somewhat akin to the national and international reaction to the brutal torture and murder of Matthew Shepard. We thought that nationwide gay marriage was important in changing America for the better in how the country views its gay citizens. And it was. But I think this event, as tragic as it is, is going to be one of the most important, because it has helped to change hearts and minds. You can change laws and force people to change their behaviors towards other fellow citizens. (Like the 1964 Civil Right Act) But you can't legislate a change in people's hearts and attitudes. This mass murder has helped to do that for the country. That's not to say that everyone's hearts have shifted. But I dare say there are far fewer homophobes in the U.S. right now than there were last week. Hopefully history will bear out that assessment.

 

[tampa24]

Do any of the rest of you think or agree that we may have just seen one of the biggest shifts of public opinion in favor of the protection of gay citizens?

 

[mikeyank]

Do any of the rest of you think or agree that we may have just seen one of the biggest shifts of public opinion in favor of the protection of gay citizens?

I think that there has been a rapid shift going on in this country over the last few years, with gay marriage being legalized and recognized by main stream America and that this recent tragedy has become a national forum where the "new normal" among the typical citizen is being openly discussed and expressed. The horrible act perpetrated on Sunday did not change people's minds but gave people a reason to express their views, which indeed have shifted markedly in my opinion.

 

[mikeyank]

Of course, I am not saying that everyone is enlightened. I know that there is still hatred toward every race, religion and form of sexuality, but I am speaking of main stream America, through our media and through our knowledge of people in our personal lives, be it relatives or friends. Everyone knows gay people and America is a much more enlightened country than it certainly was fifty years ago and probably even five years ago. The fact that the massacre happened in a gay bar as opposed to a more general mix of people bar is not the main focus of attention, but rather that innocent people were attacked and slaughtered, and of course that is the point.

 

[Buckeye1]

Do any of the rest of you think or agree that we may have just seen one of the biggest shifts of public opinion in favor of the protection of gay citizens?

I think Mike is right. The shift of public opinion has been going on for several years now, mainly due to the television and internet medias. It has suddenly become "chic" to be gay. I watch a lot of game shows and probably half of the contestants are openly gay. Ellen Degeneres has been a great role model for both gay and straight people.

A lot of tears have been shed and a lot of prayers prayed for the victims and their families in Orlando. I really believe most people saw them as beautiful Americans who just happened to be gay and were slaughtered by some maniac, who, by the way, couldn't accept being gay himself.

 

[betudidntknow]

Of course, I am not saying that everyone is enlightened. I know that there is still hatred toward every race, religion and form of sexuality, but I am speaking of main stream America, through our media and through our knowledge of people in our personal lives, be it relatives or friends. Everyone knows gay people and America is a much more enlightened country than it certainly was fifty years ago and probably even five years ago. The fact that the massacre happened in a gay bar as opposed to a more general mix of people bar is not the main focus of attention, but rather that innocent people were attacked and slaughtered, and of course that is the point.

Wow! What a great comment that I knowingly could not have expressed better myself! I agree whole heartedly with you Mike! I was listening to a conversation at work by a guy who always (and this was no exception) raises his voice and his opinions as he believes basically that we should all carry guns! Everywhere and all the time (if he had his way). He gets a little extreme....but what was also interesting to me was, this persons attitudes, views and opinions on most global matters, would make me believe that "homophobia" amongst other prejudices would be part of his positions. But, interestingly enough, one of his daughters, who is on Spring Break with a group of her friends was headed to Florida, possible to the club in Orlando as part of their venture. His worries and concerns were for his daughter (obviously) and her friends, as you said, the focus of attention was for the innocent people....regardless of the sexual proclivities.

 

[tampa24]

Yes. You guys are on to another important point also. That being that mainstream America is not wrapped up right now in the sexual orientation of the victims, but sees them as innocent American citizens who were murdered in a senseless and tragic way. The level of concern and grief across the country is not consumed in figuring out which victims were straight, gay, transgendered or bi...or which ones (or their surviving family and loved ones) deserve more or less of their pity, on that basis. Perhaps that's one of the greatest victories of spiritual enlightenment to come from this awful tragedy.

 

[Beth]

Do any of the rest of you think or agree that we may have just seen one of the biggest shifts of public opinion in favor of the protection of gay citizens?

I am hoping so..."so costly a price." It's all so sad.

 

[tampa24]