Content Warning: Islamophobia, Homophobia, Rape, Consent, Lethal Violence

The massacre of 49 and the injuring of 53 queer and mostly latinx/a/o people, which took place at Pulse NightClub in Orlando early morning June 12th, will interrupt our lives. Our contemplation of the trauma of the 53 victims/survivors will interrupt us. What's more, one and half weeks ago, Judge Aaron Persky of the Santa Clara County Superior Court decided to give 20-year-old Brock Allen Turner, a former Stanford student and champion swimmer convicted of three rape-related counts from an incident in January 2015, a 6-month sentence to County Jail. His counts could have given him 6-10 years. This decision, however, came about through so much opposition to the possibility of Brock’s detrimented future. Brock’s concerned father wrote a letter of appeal, along with 38 other letters from childhood friends, family members, & others, after which Judge Persky made his final decision. The survivor, her younger sister, and so many relatives must now exist with their trauma and history. The pain of all the victims' families should interrupt us, of their friends, partners, nephews, nieces, uncles, cousins, grandparents, aunts. In some way it will, just as their lives so violently were.

I’ve seen & heard encouraging and harmful responses by close ones and FB friends. I myself have spent the past few days grieving but also desiring allyship. Where do I begin? Around Monday I began to do the same as other concerned friends. Checking in on friends and giving them space to vent. But this naturally lead me to desire to know how to care. I discovered a desire to sacrifice time in order to be more than an emotional support, but also an educated one. Digging in and educating myself on the issues mentioned above: consent, rape, homophobia, islamophobia, and others.

I grew up amongst many voices, between multiple worlds of which some of my peers have predominantly experienced one, so Ive often found myself being some sort of bridge-builder. So thats my goal for this piece: to build bridges through dedicating both our hearts and minds in allyship. An active mind is not an educated mind. Knowing this I chose to push myself and reach out to several friends who have identities or are in communities which would be affected by these events. I asked them for readings and resources. I compiled others and posted them all below with introductions or very brief notes. These pieces are very attractive and I've found them extremely helpful.

Although none of my identities allow me to experience these oppressions, all of them give me the ability for genuine empathy and a willingness for non-complicitness in hate-inflamed homicide or concealed rape culture. I can interrupt my reading schedule, my social media time for the week, my internalized precautions and enter in. So I have two points to make about the content and our potential to respond. First, good and bad apples fall from the same tree. Ain’t no isolated apple-stalks that grow, there are trees. As interconnected humans, we grow from one trunk: society. The sociological roots of any/all harmful -phobias and -isms are also responsible for these awful events, not only the psychological and legal roots (i.e. mental health, gun control). We all internalize these roots and accepting our comlpliciteness allows for our liberarion. No more "he was a bad apple". We ought to see four fingers pointing back and recognize the logs blinding our own eyes. Additonally, this piece represents a continuous process and conversation. The table still has empty seats. I do not nor can I provide nearly all the information needed. There’s always more to add via comments, messages, or live conversation. And I really want these resources to bring about vulnerable, honest conversations. So this is your chance. Lets lean in.

1) Here’s Why We Need Restorative Justice As an Option for Dealing with Abuse by Mahealani Joy

_~15 minute read_

Is it possible for communities to uphold accountability outside of the Criminal Justice System? “It’s all about being able to identify and utilize the most effective approach for each instance — and that just isn’t possible if we believe that only one form of justice can be effective” A must read for understanding how to place the survivor/victim (or the one affected) by violence at the center of the justice process while still having non-government means of giving accountability to the perpatrator.

2) Edward Said on Orientalism

_~40 minute view_

Porfessor Edward Sad terms Orientalism to describe our specifically American understanding of Muslims, Arabs, and South Asians, especially pre-9/11. Very explanatory historical perspective on the origins of present day Islamaphobia even from 1800s colonisalism to politics, media, entertainment, and scholarship at its publishing.

3) Post 9/11 Islamophobia and the Future of American Islam by Osman Bakar

_~25 minute read_

A specific reading on what American Islam’s demographics, scholarship, perception, and rapid growth in America pre-9/11 and changes that came about post-9/11. Read this especially as a folllow-up to Said.

4) Here Is The Powerful Letter The Stanford Victim Read Aloud To Her Attacker by Katie J.M. Baker and The Survivor

_~30 minute read_

I read this article under a friend’s FaceBook post which said “This is really important. Please take enough time to read it.” The survivor’s honesty and openness is astounding. She relates the small details of her incident and connects them to larger systems of power and oppression. This is a must read.

5) Outcry Over Stanford Case Hints at Shift in Race Culture by Stacy Teicher Khadaroo

_~15 minute read_

Theres a very small estimated number of rape incidents being reported, taken to court, tried, convicted, and resulting in punishment. No sort of privledge, epecially in the cae of Brock Turner, should impede the path of justice which the survivor/victim fights for.

"The question the Turner case raises is how society should balance the various purposes of the justice system — to ... give individuals opportunities to reform and have a second chance. By speaking up in this instance, the survivor urges that the last item on that list not outweigh the others."

6) Don't Give in to Islamophobia Spreading on Social Media After Shooting by Orie Givens

_~10 minute read_

A reminder that the media’s portrayal of the Orlando massacre frames Muslims in an Islamophobic light.

7) 8 Ways Allies Can Show Up For the Queer Community After Orlando By Milo Todd

_~15 minute read + planning personal next steps_

As allies we really want to know what to believe in and fight for. Milo Todd, only hours after Orlando, provides eight really thoughtful ways we can help, from giving blood, checking-in, to handing over the mic to grieving, angered queer voices and more.