#orlando attack

On Sunday, June 12th, 2016, as a gay man and as a reporter, I went to Toronto’s vigil for the victims of the Orlando attack. It was such a gracious gesture that this took place. It was very moving and I was glad I was able to capture this. 

You can try to shoot us down And tear us apart But just remember our hearts beat as one And this heart is made if titanium We will never back down Never give up Never back down Never stop fighting For who we are Always holding our heads up high Our hearts always filled with pride Our flags will wave proudly You try to knock us down As we rise from the ashes And when you try to stop us Just remember We are one We are strong And we will never give up We will never stop fighting In this war against us As we find our place in this world #LoveWins 💔💙💚💛💜 (Art and poem by me please don't steal)

View On WordPress

New Atlantis En this Age of Degeneration En this Age of Iron New Atlantis burns And its citizenry is under siege By vandals who have sworn 2 their liege, Stables and ramparts Of stained glass and carbon steel shall fall! New Atlantis burns And its barrister kings, Content w/ excessive posturing Content w/ feeding souls 2 their respective Machines Content w/ nitely, red carpet flings Content w/ political correctness and political bombast, Make The talk-show rounds (from Ellen 2 Fallon) So as 2 speak upon a million more meaningless things And pose handsomely 4 portraits on the Capital steps While the core of New Atlantis nears ruin And the clamor of a folk, uncertain of the future, grows frantic A folk burdened w/ contraction (imposed from w/ out) A folk burdened w/ social anxieties A folk burdened w/ economic woe A folk Whose true identities and rebellious spirits Are fetter’d, Caged by the worst who rule                  the worst who worship at the iron hem Of Scarcity’s life-negating dogma A folk under siege A folk whose whyte picket dreams Are deemed decadent by a heartless villain en Arabian green {Two-Beat Pause} A folk under siege Because they are queer A folk under siege Because they dare 2 show u their tits A folk under siege Because they are the sons and daughters of David                the sons and daughters of a brash Warrior and king A folk under siege Because they venerate The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Law A folk under siege Because they are wholly free of this notion of a personal God A folk under siege Because they choose 2 love Ev’ry grain of sand below and Ev’ry cloud above A folk under siege Because they choose 2 step ento the Jordan And take The Good Shepherd’s hand Alas! New Atlantis, ruled by the worst, burns So the clamor of a folk is not heard (As the vandals loot the square and salt the land) Alas! The worst who rule ask u 2 put away yur Bibles 2 put away yur guns 2 be more tolerant; and 4get What Grandma toldja About what’s right and what’s wrong It is quite an invitation        quite an opening (4 the advent of darkness) Darkness May the Pillars of Creation be merciful! This, we cry 2 no avail When a churning tide of ink arrives at our Palace doors And the darkness it bears seizes the opportunity 2 disquiet our faith, poison our innermost being, And assault our senses w/ true horror Again and again, the darkness finds us When our third eye is closed and             our talisman is down Again and again, the darkness finds us Where we are weakest, slowest 2 respond Where we are most vulnerable and open 2 the wielding of clubs and casting of stones Again and again, the darkness finds us When we forsake All that is beautiful All that is generous All that is strong All that is kind and eager 2 4give En favor of Māra’s fetching daughters En favor of DEATH En favor of machines and machinations En favor of one last disparaging breath B’fore the peach tree is revealed And the charge of LOVE is rightfully fulfilled Again and again, the darkness finds us and Again and again, we cry 2 no avail © The Herder 2016

A tribute that I did for Orlando-- and yes, it's garnet-- not entirely as a choice of character though! I was working on a sketch of her when I heard the horrendous news, and it felt like more than fate to dedicate this piece to all the lost souls and their families. I feel that garnet herself stands as a rather strong and influential LGBT presence; she celebrates being with the one she loves every second of the day-- and becomes such an incredibly powerful being from that love. Let's keep on loving each other, and never give up! 💕💕

View On WordPress

We’re all still reeling from the terror attack in Orlando. And after all the other attacks in Paris, Brussels, and San Bernardino this last year, is there anything the US government can do to protect us?