Monday, August 29, 2016

TODAY IS BEACH DAY!





























¿WHAT IF WE GAY FOLKS ARE THE "BAD" GUYS?

Disclaimer of Cognitive Dissonance:
Before reading any further, I would like to inform the reader that this blog entry will likely provoke strong emotional reaction and some will find it offensive. In fact, I already am aware of many of the negative remarks that will arise, so I will just address them now.

1.    I do not hate the gay people and I do not hate people. Quite the contrary, I feel badly for our community because many of us are being brainwashed, manipulated, and used to fight bogus wars under the disguise of us gay people vs. those other gay people; when in reality we are only fighting to secure a place within society when society should be fighting to secure with us.
2.   Some will say, “Not all the gay people misbehave and you are focusing on the minority.” This is true, there are a number of gay people out that give the community reasons to be proud. However, many of us will always be viewed as just gay people.

3.   Some will say, “How can you not support the gay people, when you are a part of the gay community?” I am not apart or nor do I represent the entire gay community.  

So answer this question, what if we gay people are the "bad" guys and all the negative things that happen to us, we cause it on ourselves?

Sunday, August 28, 2016

ORLANDO HOSPITALS ANNOUNCE THEY WON'T CHARGE PULSE NIGHTCLUB MASSACRE VICTIMS

Two hospitals in the Orlando, Florida, area who treated victims of the Pulse nightclub massacre announced Wednesday that they would not bill victims of the mass shooting for the medical expenses incurred following the attack.

A total of 49 people, most of them queer people of color, died and an another 53 were injured when Omar Mateen opened fire on June 12 in the worst mass shooting in American history. Orlando Health, parent corporation of one of the hospitals in question ― Orlando Regional Medical Center ― said in a statement to ABC on Wednesday, “Orlando Health has not sent any hospital or medical bills directly to Pulse patients and we don’t intend to pursue reimbursement of medical costs from them.”

According to Orlando Sentinel, the medical costs being forgiven by the health care network total an estimated $5.5 million.

“The pulse shooting was a horrendous tragedy for the victims, their families and our entire community,” Orlando Health President and CEO David Strong stated. “During this very trying time, many organizations, individuals and charities have reached out to Orlando Health to show their support. This is simply our way of paying that kindness forward.”

Florida Hospital reportedly stated that it will not seek any compensation for medical expenses occurred from the victims, while Orlando Regional Medical Center, which treated 44 of the victims, will turn to state and federal funds for reimbursement.

Orlando Health reportedly said the network is, “exploring numerous options to help the victims of the Pulse nightclub tragedy address immediate and ongoing medical costs. These include state and federal funds, private insurance, victim funds like the One Orlando fund, disability insurance, Florida’s crime victim compensation program, funding sources established for individual victims, means-tested programs like Medicaid, as well as charity care provided by Orlando Health.”

The medical expense forgiveness displayed by Orlando Health is just one of many incredible displays of solidarity and support for the LGBT community of Orlando, Florida in the months since the attack on Pulse nightclub. onePULSE Foundation, a non-profit founded in wake of the tragedy, plans to turn the nightclub itself into a memorial site, having held a star-studded fundraiser in Hollywood last Friday. 

Want more information on how to help the friends and families of victims of the Pulse massacre? Head here.


CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misidentified Orlando Health as the parent corporation of Florida Hospital. This has been corrected.

SOURCE: HUFFPOST QUEER VOICES

BEFORE YOU CAN SEE THE LIGHT...


"Before you can see the light, you have to deal with the darkness." ~Dan Millman


TODAY IS SUMMER LEISURE DAY!