Zachary Blair

When I went to the Pulse Nightclub on the night of June 10, 2017, the first thing I saw was a sign posted with rules of the nightclub parking lot turned memorial. "We ask that visitors maintain proper etiquette, personal behavior, and conduct at all times." This need to construct sacred space through disciplining bodies was a disturbing reminder of the oppressive forces that are always at play. Partnered with an ever present police force, memorial tourists striking somber pos

I am currently writing a piece on Winter Park's disappearing tree canopy that is part of a larger project I have been working on for the past several months. Briefly, it explores the disappearing urban forest that has resulted from contemporary, neoliberal urban development. More to come, but I have been using Google Maps street view to confirm my suspicions, document what I can remember, and provide evidence of my larger argument, which is more expansive than just a conversa

Six months after the Pulse shooting, Orlando launched a "Safe Places" program in an effort to help victims of LGBT violence through "symbolic safety." "It is a voluntary program which allows businesses and other establishments to designate themselves as places that will report anti-LGBT incidents and allow victims to come inside and call police... Participating establishments are placing a rainbow-colored decal in their windows. In large letters, the stickers read ‘Report ant

In the days after Donald Trump was elected President of the United States, acts of racism, Islamophobia, homophobia, and misogyny that invoke the president-elect have made headlines. These events, along with a generalized fear and anxiety about and the future of the country, have sparked numerous movements around the creation of safe space. The donning of the safety pin has become a widespread and contested movement, critiqued for its racial politics and slacktivism (alternat