The day of:
10am – When I see it, I’m holding hands with my girlfriend. I’m checking Facebook over Cheerios on a Sunday morning and I see headlines. 20 dead, in a gay nightclub in Orlando. My blood runs cold.
My girlfriend’s bus back to NYC leaves in three hours. I can’t deal with this right now. I hold her hand tighter and suggest a trip to a museum.
1pm – Her bus leaves. We wave, and blow kisses, and I wonder how much danger we are in. My hand curls around my pepper spray in my bag even as I kiss her goodbye.
2pm – I am sitting in a McDonald’s in Union Station. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. This is the worst mass shooting in the US. 50 dead. 53 injured. I wander Union Station in a daze. The worst mass shooting was against me, against who I am. I am not safe here. I felt safe yesterday, as queer people flooded the streets for the DC Pride Parade. I waved flags; I kissed my girlfriend on the street. I didn’t know that a few hours after the crowds left, police would flood a nightclub that was supposed to be a safe haven for people like me.
3pm – I make it home. I don’t remember getting there, just turning the key in the lock. I read an article about a victim of the tragedy texting his mother before he died.
I think about sending those texts to my mom. I text my mom, she doesn’t respond. I finally cry.
5pm – My friends say they feel empty. I can’t decide if I feel empty or angry. I wish I had someone here. I throw away most of the stuff I got from Pride. The rainbow flags, pins, buttons, stickers – they don’t protect anyone. I feel like I’m in danger. I go inside. I can’t stop checking the news. Every new name hurts.
There is a gay community. I know the feeling of seeing another lesbian couple holding hands in the streets. I know the elation of seeing myself represented in my favorite television shows, in music and movies. We support each other, keeping each other afloat. I know my community’s rich history and how we take anything that is thrown at us and make it our own. Instead of flinching at the slur queer, we took it back and made it something we call ourselves. We reclaim, carving out our space to exist. Hurt one, and the whole community feels it.
I don’t know how we’re going to reclaim this.
8pm – I read that the victims’ phones are ringing. The bodies are still in the nightclub, and their families are calling, calling, calling to see if they are alright. They aren’t alright.
Omar Mateen, the shooter, legally purchased his semiautomatic assault rifle a few days before the Orlando massacre. With that rifle, he was able to kill an unprecedented number of people. His ex-wife reported that he was a domestic abuser. The attack happened specifically during a Latin Night event, targeting not only queer people, but also people of color. Apparently he was motivated in part by anger seeing two gay men kissing in front of him. What if that had been my girlfriend and me? Who has seen me and thought of violence?
All these pieces fit together. They tell a story of lax gun laws, a culture that does not encourage women to report domestic violence, racism, and homophobia. This story ends in fifty people like me dead. I close my computer.
10pm – I Skype my girlfriend. She’s terrified to go to New York City Pride. We cry, together, across a grainy connection. We don’t talk much. I want to be there, to hold her and tell her everything will be okay.
I don’t know if it will be okay. A man was caught with three assault rifles, ammunition, and bomb materials on his way to LA Pride on Sunday. Will New York Pride be safe? Is anywhere safe?
Right now, America is the most accepting of LGBTQ people it has ever been. From Laverne Cox to Glee, gay and trans people see themselves represented in media. Pride celebrations occur in nearly every major city. LGBTQ people have support systems in the form of online communities, Gay-Straight Alliance clubs, and, yes, gay bars. Historically, gay bars have been a place of sanctuary where queer people can express themselves fully through drag shows, dancing, and an accepting atmosphere. Pulse was founded to honor the owner’s brother John, who died of AIDS, and has served as a gathering place for LGBTQ people in Orlando since its 2004 opening. The name of the club, Pulse, refers to John’s heartbeat, as a living memorial he would be proud of.
My pulse is too fast. I put on some Simon and Garfunkel to calm down.
“I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed
By the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence”
That is the purpose of these queer spaces. They are places to split the night, break queer silence, to reach out of the closet. The neon lights of a club are there to shed light on you, on your own terms. To face danger together. To mourn, to celebrate, to take how different you are and shout it to the stars.
12am – I fall asleep. I will put myself back together in the morning, I will lift up my community, and we together will work to fix the issues that made this disaster possible.
For now, I dream of dancing in the dark without fear.
You have captured what many of us feel. Please know you are not alone. Thank you.
Beautifully written!
Very touching story. Grateful for all of those who had enough passion to care for the individuals wrapped up in this mess. I enjoyed your narrative point of view.
I couldn’t refrain from commenting. Very well written!
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This motion stops proinflammatory mechanisms in both intestinal epithelial cells and immune cells.
Furthermore, KPV can directly interact with immune cells to reduce back irritation, showcasing its efficacy in addressing intestine issues similar to ulcerative
colitis and inflammatory bowel ailments. In research, KPV has been shown to effectively cut
back inflammation relating to colitis, tumors, and bronchial asthma through
various mechanisms.
It decreases the inflammatory response by inhibiting proinflammatory cytokine (molecule) synthesis and
secretion. Research involving immortalized human bronchial epithelial cells demonstrated that
KPV suppresses inflammation by inhibiting NFκB signaling, a key regulator in inflammatory processes.
The peptide’s effect includes nuclear import and stabilization of IκBα, which prevents NFκB from translocating to the nucleus and initiating irritation. This indicates a possible therapeutic role for KPV in respiratory
inflammatory illnesses like bronchial asthma [R].
KPV (lysine-proline-valine) is the C-terminal finish
of a more prominent melanocortin peptide hormone referred to as alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone
(α-MSH), produced naturally in the body. A melanocortin receptor agonist, α-MSH, is synthesized in the pituitary gland
of most vertebrates and is liable for regulating
energy balance.
Marotti et al. (2023) developed sophisticated nanoparticle
platforms for combined mucosal therapeutic and
immunomodulation in inflammatory bowel illness remedy.
Their research demonstrated that hybrid lipid hyaluronate-conjugated nanocarriers loaded with
therapeutic compounds achieved superior outcomes in comparison with conventional
treatments. The research showed that surface functionalization with the peptide induced targeted immunosuppression while promoting mucosal therapeutic.
Another study(4) investigated KPV’s potential in addressing
ulcerative inflammation of colonic mucosa cells. Researchers hypothesized that KPV might mitigate inflammatory responses inside colonic cells by
selling mucosal therapeutic and lowering inflammation.
To examine whether or not KPV affects IL-8 expression and secretion by Caco2-BBE cells, IL-8 mRNA and protein ranges have been assessed by real-time RT-PCR and ELISA.
We discovered that IL-1β induced a ~200-fold increase of IL-8 mRNA after
3 hours of stimulation compared with untreated cells (Figure 1E).
In the presence of KPV, nevertheless, the IL-1β-induced improve of IL-8
mRNA was significantly lowered (by ~35%) (Figure 1E). Correlatively, the rise
of IL-8 focus in the tradition medium of Caco2-BBE cells handled with
IL-1β for three or 5 hours was significantly decreased
by co-incubation with KPV (Figure 1F). L-Glutamine, also referred to as Glutamine, is the most abundant amino
acid in the body and a very common complement that helps the
intestine microbiota and immunity. L-Glutamine
is properly studied and one of the helpful amino acids
that exists. Its general results on the intestine include regulating the GI microbiome, improving the functions
of the intestines, and reducing constipation.
Animal experiments had been carried out following the Institutional Animal
Care and Use Committee (IACUC) pointers and were approved by the Animal Ethics
Committee of Southwest Medical College. Researchers found that when handled with Selank, high-fat-fed mice gained 35% much less
weight. With shut to 20 million males affected by ED, this peptide
is nicely value a trial run. One area of health that some are reluctant
to discuss however is a problem in a huge share of adults of each
sexes, is that of dysfunctional sexual well being.
New analysis on hormones in this class have
show immunomodulating and anti inflammatory effects of these peptides.
KPV has a mess of makes use of on the auto-immune facet as well
as the anti-inflammatory facet. Depending on what the realm that needs to be targeted,
the route administered performs a big position.
Studies have proven that BPC-157 could have potential anti-cancer properties by inhibiting the expansion of most cancers cells and selling apoptosis, which might be
a game-changer in most cancers treatment. The evidence
base to be used of these medication, both for off-label indications or
as non-approved medicine, is wanting. There is an opportunity that peptides besides GLP-1s will ultimately be demonstrated
to supply health end result advantages as seen in rodent pre-clinical fashions.
Oral administration of HA-KPV NPs in a mouse mannequin exhibited a a lot stronger capability to forestall mucosa harm and accelerate mucosal healing [12].
Another critical distinction between KPV and alpha-MSH
was outlined in a 2003 research carried out on a mannequin of crystal-induced peritonitis.
In vitro macrophage activation was inhibited by alpha-MSH and MTII but not by KPV.
Both BPC-157 and TB-500 are banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for
aggressive athletes.
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