I’m sure most people are aware of the shootings that happened early this morning (around 2am) at Pulse in Orlando, Florida. As a queer person who not only lives in Orlando, but as someone who literally went to high school and grew up one block over from Pulse, I want to put out some super awesome resources for the internet to take advantage of! Please remember that last night was specifically Latin Night, so not only was this an anti-LGBTQIA+ act of violence, it was also an anti-latinx act of violence. I grew up in this area, and I visited Pulse multiple times, and it was most definitely a predominantly latinx/black club. This attack was carefully planned, I have no doubts about this.

Want to donate, but not sure where to donate/where is reliable?  Zebra Coalition; a GREAT place that helps out LGBTQIA+ with all sorts of issues. They pointed me in a direction to help me financially when I was homeless. http://zebrayouth.org/get-involved/donate-now/ Orlando Youth Alliance; a nonprofit organization that is specifically geared towards the younger community but will help anyone in need. http://orlandoyouthalliance.org/index.cfm?n=7& Support the victims/families of the shooting; [PLEASE BE WEARY OF FRAUDS!!! I WILL ONLY ADD IN LINKS THAT ARE LEGITIMATE!] This is a legitimate donation page and is set up by Ida V. Eskamani [her linkedin page is here], who works for Equality Florida, which is a nonprofit organization https://www.gofundme.com/2942a444

Need counseling? (mainly Orlando based) The Center; they are offering counseling for anyone in the area who may be suffering from any sort of stress/ptsd/etc. from this event. You can also call them at 1-407-228-1446! http://www.thecenterorlando.org/ UCF; the university is offering counseling today (June 12th) between 12:00pm-5:00pm EST https://www.facebook.com/UCFCAPS/posts/10154235951353050

Want updates? [All of these sites have some sort of political bias and agenda unfortunately but I tried pulling together sites that are updating in real time on the topic] CNN; http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/12/us/orlando-nightclub-shooting/ Twitter; the tags #pulsenightclub, #pulseshooting, and #pulsenightclubshooting are all trending, as is the term ‘Orlando’ Blood Banks at capacity; if you can donate blood, PLEASE DO! Right now there are so many volunteers that blood banks are asking people to return throughout the week. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-orlando-nightclub-shooting-blood-donations-20160612-story.html Orlando Radio Stations; I’ve heard from local friends that WTKS 104.1 is a good station to be listening to right now!

Issue 0 of @bashback just wrapped up, and though we are taking a break from updates, I am not taking a break from working on the art. The writers are working on the script for Issue 1, and I just finished working on designs for new characters to be introduced. I left my dumb notes alone, so y'all are getting some big clues as to what’s coming up next in the comic. And I have to say, these were a lot of fun to do.