Alan Carter leaves a bouquet of flowers for Laura Ann Carleton outside her shop, Mag.Pi, in Studio City, Calif., on Aug. 23, 2023.As a gay Black man who is disabled, Carter said he knows the value of having someone in your corner, and when one of those champions is suddenly absent, it can be devastating.
“I cried this morning sitting at home,” he explained. “And I remembered watching people put flowers at Buckingham Palace when Princess Diana died, thinking what the hell? They don’t even know her. Why would people leave flowers for someone they’ve never met? Then something clicked today. My mother was a fierce ally, too, and she didn’t care if you were gay, Black, Asian, Jewish, it didn’t matter. We grew up loving people and she and my father taught us to love everyone on an individual basis.
Mag.Pi remained closed on Wednesday and when Carter arrived, the front entrance was blocked by a makeshift memorial featuring a sea of bouquets, rainbow flags, cards, candles and notes. He placed the hydrangeas behind a freshly painted portrait of Carleton, her long blond hair topped by a tan hat with a rainbow swath above the brim. Near the front, someone left a whiteboard that read “Stop the Hate” in neon lettering.