It is with great sorrow that I must write this tribute to the victims of the Orlando Pulse Nightclub Massacre. When I first heard the news about the events, I was unsure whether to believe what I was reading.
Not because I thought it was fake, but surely this couldn’t happen in a modern, civilised society. But sadly I was wrong. I spent some time reading the news reports, and there are a couple of things that stood
out to me, and I warn you, they are very moving. The first thing that drew me to tears was a facebook
post by a Mr Andy Carvin:
Though we appreciate the work of every single man and woman investigating this horrible loss of innocent life, the thing that gets me here is this this; “loved ones try to reach them.”
I think a lot of people are unfortunately slipping back to the old stereotypes here and forgetting that
these queer men and women, gunned down, were humans. They had parents, family, loved ones. Their
world has been shook, and it will never be whole again. May we just take time to think not just of the
repercussions of this senseless act, but also how our words and actions in the future will affect these
people. They have it the hardest right now, and we need not make things worse than they are.
The second bit of information that I read this morning wasn’t about the victims, the shooter, families,
politics or anything else. It was about the nightclub itself. Many people forget about the location of
events such as this. But I think this is too important to not highlight. The very name of the club itself has
a touching meaning.
The Pulse nightclub was co-founded by Barbara Poma with her friend Ron Legler in 2004. Poma's brother, John,
died from AIDS in 1991. "Being raised in a strict Italian family, being gay was frowned upon. However, when John
came out to his family and friends, the family dynamic transitioned from a culture of strict tradition to one of acceptance and love," the club's website says of Poma's brother. "It was important to create an atmosphere that embraced the gay lifestyle with décor that would make John proud. Most importantly, [we] coined the name Pulse for
John's heartbeat—as a club that is John's inspiration, where he is kept alive in the eyes of his friends and family."
The name of this club has such a sad but touching meaning, but it is one that shouldn’t be forgotten. The
name was born out of acceptance and love. The name comes from Johns heartbeat, and has never been
silenced since his passing. The same goes for the victims of this crime. You may be gone from this world,
but your hearts will never stop beating in our memories and lives. May your loss some day, some how,
spur us to create a better world. You will never be forgotten.