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In Tribute to the Orlando Victims
Griselda Steiner
In the wake of the Orlando massacre that has raised the complex issues of America's fight against terrorism, gun control as well as the
perverse psychology of a closeted homosexual, the NYC LGBT community is standing strong. Having spearheaded the global gay rights movement, fight against aids and instigated the
legalization of gay marriage, the community is now in solidarity mourning the tragic loss of lives in the Pulse nightclub on June 12, 2016.
On Monday June 13th thousands gathered for a vigil at the historic Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street in the West
Village, NYC, the site of the police raids and riots in 1969 that marked the beginning of modern gay activism.
The tavern as well as the adjacent Christopher Park with its iconic lifesize sculptures by George Segal commemorating
liberation are now a National Historic Landmark and were designated as a National Monument by President Obama on June 24th.
A long time resident of the West Village, I visited Christopher Park on June 14th and joined the somber crowd, some adding
to the makeshift memorial of flowers, candles, banners and posters to take snapshots. Ahead of NYC's annual gay Pride
Parade on June 26th when a sea of wild revelers crowd the streets with colorful costumes and rainbow flags, the presence of NYPD's counter terrorism unit patrolling the
streets with black uniforms and assault rifles acts as a reminder of potential threats against a vulnerable population.
Hopefully our dynamic gay and lesbian community of trailblazers can again turn another profound human tragedy into a great social crusade.
A LONE MAN
Who are the lone men
Out to destroy our lives
What drives them?
Today a lone man,
An assassin
Has more power at his fingertips
Than armies had centuries ago
Today a lone man,
A dictator
Can turn his country into a desert
Overrun by terrorists
As his people migrate into the abyss
Today a lone man,
A mad man - a jealous man
A man with a tank
With a backpack - With a car bomb
With a rifle - With a knife
With an atomic drone
Can carry out a mission
Then get fed in prison
Today a lone man,
A pilot
Can ram his plane into a building, a mountain, the sea
And leave us to grieve a great mystery
Today a lone man,
A bigot
Can bully the US electorate
And turn politics into a circus
Always, a lone man could change the world
An assassin,
By killing great men with new ideas
But never the ideas themselves.
Photos - Griselda Steiner
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