We were shocked and saddened by the news that lesbian couple Mollie Olgin and Mary Chapa had been brutally shot and left for dead. (Olgin did indeed die from her injuries.) But we find comfort in the fact that, all across the country, LGBT people and allies held vigils and rallies for the two young women.
Sunday evening in Manhattan, the grassroots group Queer Rising invited members of the public to come to Union Square and share in their grief—and in hope that Chapa will make a speedy recovery. Drawing 75-100 people the event was politically tinged, with memorial candles illuminating protest signs confronting callous attacks on the queer community. Let’s hope we quickly get to a time where such vigils are a thing of the past.
Click through for images from the Queer Rising vigil for Mollie Olgin and Mary Chapa in New York. Below, a similar vigil for the girls in West Hollywood.
Photos: Melissa Klecker
How about we take this to the next level?
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snowisfun
We don’t know if this was a hate crime. That is possible but it’s also possible that this was a gang related shooting or it could’ve been done by a jealous lesbian lover who may have hired a hitman to do a murder for hire where 1 gets killed & another wounded. This will offend but another possibility is that both lesbians were drug junkies who were shot by a drug seller in a drug deal which went bad. Until some1 is arrested & it’s proven who did it, we can’t assume it’s a hate crime. Finally as admitted in another post, I am glad I’m homophobic as I believe gay/lesbian sexual behaviors are comparable to drug junkyism & I would make it crime to do sex change maimings. Abolish sex changes.
dee-dee
“Could’ve been done by a jealous lesbian lover who may have hired a hitman to do a murder for hire where 1 gets killed & another wounded.”
Little tip. Stop watching those L&O SVU marathons.
Deb
Whenever we hear Cyndi Lauper sing “True Colors”, we must sing a little louder along with her. The gun cowards who bullleted Mary and Mollie, in the face of pristine lesbian love, is a shot in all lesbian hearts; but, this is where the muscle for justice will have to rise. Thanks to the candles at the vigil. We will have to make courage out of this tragedy.
snowisfun
@dee-dee: Dee-Dee, I don’t watch much TV, I don’t have cable TV, so what are L&O, SVU marathons ? But honestly, we don’t know the motive of this shooting. If it turns out both lesbians were drug junkies who were shot by a drug seller in a drug deal which went bad, it wouldn’t be surprising & for all that’s known, the shooter didn’t know the 2 were lesbians. If the cops arrest the shooter & it’s proven why it was done, then we’ll know more.
Ogre Magi
Boy, that reverend was creepy looking!
Mr-DJ
@snowisfun: What do sex change maimings have to do with Gays and Lesbians. You should write about that in a medical blog. You don’t seem to know what Gay and Lesbian even means. Also your religious opinions about sexuality have no place here. This is about a vigil for two teenagers who were shot. That’s a crime period. And thier extended family is memorializing one, and praying for recovery of the other. You beleive in prayer don’t you “snowisfun”? So why don’t you try being part of the solution and not part of the problem. In the meantime, please stop using the same tactics that the Westboro Baptist Church uses to disrupt peoples lives, rather than lift people up like TRUE Christians are called upon to do?
Jeremys
Nice Photos Clip Video……
http://www.zimbio.com/Mens+Health/articles/GZEMDMHC0ML/Ageless+Male+Supplement+Review
snowisfun
@Mr-DJ: It’s no surprise you would call go into religion but I’m NOT a Judeo-Christian. I’m a non-religious person who sees something wrong with sex change maimings & with gay/lesbian, I use old fashioned definition-people who knowingly & willfully have same sex beahviors. Sexual orientation that you talk about is a small topic because my view is that even if sexual orientation doesn’t change, it’s best for people not to do gay/lesbian sexual activities. Please don’t lecture me on Christianity when that’s not my faith & know that there are non-religious people who are against gay/lesbian activities. But with this case to repeat, we don’t know why these 2 lesbians were shot. If cops find out who did this & it’s proven why it was done, then we’ll know. But until we know why, we can’t rule out possibilities. It’s possible the killer didn’t know the 2 were lesbians when he shot them especially if it was done by stranger.
brian
@snowisfun: basically what your saying is that you choose to reject faith because you dont feel it, which is fine, but you cling to those views in regards to homosexuality and transgender because they are ‘old fashioned’ and therefore ‘tried and true.’ yet homosexuality has existed for as long as people have, even if you go into a lack of reproduction from it that fact remains as has transgender and hermaphroditism (i know its a dated term but it fits the bill) and as such are as equally ‘old fashioned’.
behavior can be willful, it can also be not-medical fact. in regards to who a person has sex with, yeah one can choose to lie to oneself and the world and engage in sex acts with people they dont find attractive, people do it all the time and all it does is make everyone unhappy or they can choose to be disconnected from people on a fundamental and intimate level(not to say sex is the only means of that connection) and still perpetuate the same cycle of destruction and abuse that exists. that is stupidity in action. on transgender, it is a long drawn out process to even get to the point where surgery is an option here, lots of counseling and testing.
you equate gay to drug addiction, while many gays are subject to various addictions they are not the same at all. addiction can be psychological or biological in nature, depending on the drug in question. if it is psychological the person perceives a false need for a drug because of how it makes them feel, if it is biological the body is usually damaged or altered in some way that a real need is created sometimes that can be fixed.
loving/attraction to someone of the same sex or gender(they are not the same and are not really interchangeable) is neither a perceived need nor is it a damaged state leading to action(jnukie behavior). it is a thing that is generally unaccepted in society (which creates 90% or more of the problem issues) that we have no choice in, people dont choose to be straight any more than people choose to be gay. if it was considered the non issue that it should be for people to love one another regardless of the sex/gender of that individual then a majority of the social problems you equate ‘gay’ to will simply vanish.
those problems(drug abuse and junkie behavior) also come up when you have traditional culture and values systematically eradicated as well. gay is not the same thing as addiction and junkie behaviors. it is well documented and proven. any view of them equating is willful ignorance.
brian
@brian: on the systematic eradication of culture and values i mention, i am not talking about evolving values but the systematic destruction of the culture and value systems of an ethnic group(as a primary example).
Mr-DJ
@snowisfun: You are correct ‘Snowisfun’ – I just assumed you had a religious affiliation, as that is usually the only reason anyone can come up with to use against Gays. Even though that is not a legitmate reason. For those like you that do not have that religious affiliation, I accept that you have an “Opinion” about Gays/Lesbians due to a lack of familiarity / understanding. But I am not sure why you would feel the need to SUGGEST that we suppress our natural emotional and physical needs that match exactly those of the non-gay population.
We were ALL created and/or evolved with these emotions and needs, and they are quite necessary. They are as natural to me as a Gay person, as they are to you as (I assume) a non-gay person.
What WOULD be wrong for me to do, is to lie to everyone, including myself, and PRETEND to be straight just so I can act on those feelings. And those actions would then also be lies. They would be of no use to me, and I would be cheating the other person. It would be un-natural for me.
And why would I EVER do such a thing just because people I don’t even know, think I should. I was born free, I was born Gay, this is MY life. Has nothing to do with you, and no one should even have the right to put to a vote of the majority about any aspect of it.
I am gald that you agree with me that this event with these two girls should be the focus here. And I am glad that you agree with me that we do not even know if it is related to their sexuality. These were the points I brought up, and questioned YOU – about this not being the proper forum for YOUR comments. That was part of my whole response.
The other question you have never really answered is how does “sex-change maiming” in any way have anything to do with this event, or with Gays and Lesbians for that matter. I am thinking you have a GRAVE LACK OF UNDERSTANDING about all of these subjects, judging by your comments.
TO BRIAN: (if you are reading these responses) – Thanks
I would like to ask ‘snowisfun’ when he decided to be straight (assuming he is) since he probably thinks that was a bridge that all people have to cross at some point in our lives. I would like to know when/what that point was, and what HIS thought process was in making that big “DECISION”. What were the options on both sides that he actually considered.
I would also like to understand why people who belive it is a choice, think we would ever CHOOSE to be Gay knowing what torture one goes through, years of trying to accept within ones self that we ARE Gay, being ostricized by society, being bullied to the point of suicide (the cause of 30% of all teen suicides).
QUESTION: If I don’t like to eat liver, as most people do not, but you DO like liver… I might say I do not UNDERSTAND how you can eat it, but I would never say “I think you should stop eating it.” And I would never try to stop you from having the RIGHT to eat liver by having everyone else vote on it, and say the majority rules. As long as you are not trying to eat the liver out of my own body, it should be no business of mine that you go to a restauarnt and order liver.
snowisfun
@Mr-DJ: My answers to you & Brian. Hermaphrodites are a physical deformity & not part of this discussion. Talking about transexuality, & I believe they should make it a crime to do sex change maimings as I’m against maiming a man to make him a fake woman or in some cases maiming a woman to make her a fake man because they think they’re of another sex just as I’m against trying to make a Black person White or viceversa because they think they’re of another race. They must cure or @least better treat Gender Dysphoria (GID), not mutilate some1. It’s for the same reason that if a man thinks he was born a dog, I would oppose trying to turn him into a fake dog by surgically maiming his voice to bark like & surgically putting fake tail.
With homosexuality/lesbianism, I don’t believe gays/lesbians choose their orientation but orientation is minor topic. Even if sexual orientation doesn’t change, it’s best for people not to do gay/lesbian activities-be celibate. I’m also against anal sex straight or homo & if oral sex disappeared, then I wouldn’t lose sleep over it. Sex must be limited to penis/vaginal sex between man & woman or if oral happens, it must be woman giving man head only.
Why do people turn out gay/lesbian incl. possibly this lesbian couple who was shot? Again, I use sexual behavior not orientation do define gay/lesbian which is knowingly & willfully taking part in same sex activities. There are people who are gay/lesbian by sexual behavior definition because perhaps sex abuse esp. repeated homosexual rape in youth messed up mind that they do same sex behaviors. These people may not be homosexual/lesbian by orientation but they’re homo/lesbian by sexual behavior definition-the old fashioned 1. Then there are people who take part in gay/lesbian sexual behaviors because homosexuality is true orientation perhaps because of birth defect or hormonal defect, but they’ve not conclusively proven homosexuality/lesbianism is inborn. Unsure if these 2 lesbians who were shot are lesbians because they are by sexual behavior definition because they were victims of childhood sex abuse though lesbianism isn’t their true orientation or if these 2 lesbians are lesbians because lesbianism is their true orientation.
I compare homosexual/lesbian sexual behaviors to heart attacks. Some people get heart attacks because they eat poorly & don’t exercise & then some people get heart attacks because they have a bad gene set. If in the future they found a cure for homosexuality/lesbianism be it shot, pill or surgery, then I wouldn’t lose sleep if gay/lesbian sexual behaviors disappered. I don’t expect gay/lesbian sexual behaviors, anal sex cunnilingus & analingus to disappear anytime soon but if a cure is discovered in the future, then that’s fine with me. Keeping it on topic why these 2 lesbians believed they were lesbians (1 survived) would make discussion on are they lesbians by sexual behavior definition though lesbianism isn’t orientation or did they do lesbian activities because lesbianism is true orientation. Whatever the case, sexual orientation is a moot point. & yes, straight people do choose to be straight via sexual behavior definition. If a person of straight orientation dies a 40 year old virgin, then he is neither straight nor homo because he never had sex.
brian
@snowisfun:
you previously compared homosexual behavior to drug addiction, now you are comparing it to a heart attack. the drug/junkie thing i can kind of but not really see as many gays do suffer from addiction (disproportionately)-as do many straights. knowing what is medically/biologically going on during a ‘heart attack’ there is no basis of comparison-even in analogy. a body can be predisposed to having circulatory and heart conditions that can lead to, with other factors, ‘heart attack’ among other issues. the same cannot be said for homosexuality, heterosexuality or sex.
although, one’s orientation can be considered a predisposition and is by no means a moot point (which you are obviously rejecting and minimizing because you cannot counter in argument). while you are correct that science has not shown a single factor as being why someone is homosexual v heterosexual or something else, the evidence overwhelmingly states that it is not something that can be chosen by anyone in anyway. their future choices of behaviors are entirely a separate, albeit majorly influenced, fact.
the mere fact of one choosing to not engage in sexual activity and behaviors with another person simply means that, nothing more and it does not define a person as sexually neutral in any way behaviorally or otherwise that is a logical fallacy and a misuse of behavioral definition. at most you can say that person chose to not engage in explicit sex with another. the body and mind do sex more or less regardless of the will of the individual up to a point, it cannot be stopped or prevented and the fodder used in those processes are the relevant factors in that individuals sexuality.
the specific sex acts you mention are as hetero as any other sexual behavior. limiting sexual activity to penis/vagina intercourse, is puritanical (which was and is cultish and has never been mainstream and is historically proven unmaintainable in at large society) and not at all ‘old fashioned’ (you are using ‘o.f.’ as a justification which is historically and factually flawed and has already been addressed, to continue using it shows us who you are). making it ok, even if only begrudgingly, for a woman to do oral sex upon a man and not a man on a woman is ridiculous (it is equally ridiculous for either man or woman to be not allowed such activity on a consenting individual of the same sex); it implies specifically, that a woman is less than a man because its ‘ok’ for him to ask for something she cannot so he gets more and is, thereby, more. i personally find it childish in nature to limit oneself like this, it denies the sexual power of other activities and here i am not referring to directly sexual acts. we as individuals are free and should all be free, everywhere, to engage in whatever sex acts we personally choose to engage in without judgement or duress and if they include a consenting other party/or more then hallelujah! the only reasonable limitations are for social order and should not abridge our unalienable rights and even those should be regularly challenged.
and here we go with the ‘they were turned gay’ crap. rape has significant impact upon an individual including causing confusion; IT DOES NOT, however, in any way, ‘make’ a person gay, period, EVER. again, extremely well documented. sex acts are still sex acts and a rape victim suffering from psycho-sexual trauma will suffer that regardless of who they have sex with, and it is possible i may have misused ‘psycho-sexual trauma’ here but i believe my intended point is clear.
on the transsex issue (which culturally includes hermaphrodites), i agree that better treatment is needed, however, not of the variety you do. we as individuals all have the right of self-determination (how else can one live a life, free and in pursuit of happiness?). assuming that it is not an insanity such as believing oneself to be of another species (which is possible in some individuals), hence the many years process of transsexual therapy and diagnosis, it is not my right or yours or of any other party to interfere in that persons self determination. absolutely, question it, especially in extreme irreversible massively life altering situations, and challenge it for veracity; if after it is made clear the individual is not suffering from something that forces them believe as they do, if after they have checked the hormone balance, body structure (for damage) the individual still feels and has lived as a person of the opposed sex for a time and if in that time they have improved in their quality of life as a result, who are we as a society to deny them that better happier life when that pursuit is a fundamental unalienable right and if found (by anyone) should be fostered by all – assuming that happier life is not found in the wanton slaughter and destruction of others.
what those two people engaged in sexually with one another (regardless of why they were doing it) prior to the shooting is moot because that is their personal business. i assume they identified themselves as a couple and if that was a factor in them getting shot will be revealed. to discuss this shooting without information is stupidity in action so this is all i am going to say on it.
this is the last time i will respond to you mr snowisfun. it is plain where further interaction will go. it is a pity.
snowisfun
@brian: Well, gay/lesbian sexual beahviors is comparable to BOTH drug junkyism & heart attacks. Gay/lesbian sexual behaviors are useless. But denying the link between childhood sex abuse (especially repeated homosexual rape in youth) & homosexual behavior in adulthood is dishonest. 33% of gays report homosexual rape in youth. If homosexual rape in youth hadn’t happened, then many wouldn’t have taken part in gay activities. If a kid lives in high crime neighborhood & sees gang violence, the likelihood is more that he kid will be a gangster when he becomes an adult. The same can be said with gay/lesbian sexual behaviors & to deny this is dishonest. With oral sex, if that disappeared, then that’s fine with me.
If a cure for GID is discovered, then we’ll hear more of how science has been wasted all these years mutilating people to make them fakes. Most transexuals were sexually abused so sex abuse is a major cause of transexuality. Sex change mutilations & hormone injections destroy the body. Many transexuals are drug junkies who mix heroin & other drugs with the hormone shots. Make it a crime to do sex changes. Having laws against sex change maimings is same as having laws against crack junkyism.
With this lesbian couple, again we don’t know the motives. But if it’s true that either or both of these lesbians were sexually abused when they were girls, then it’s possible they do lesbian sexual behaviors because of this. I have never heard a straight person blame sex abuse for them doing straight behaviors, yet I sometimes hear homos&lesbians blame bad things such as sex abuse for gay/lesbian behaviors. With this shooting, no, we don’t know why it was done & can speculate. But denying the link between childhood sex abuse & homosexual/lesbian activities in adulthood is dishonest because some people do turn out gay/lesbian behaviorally speaking because of sex abuse.