The City of Orlando issued a statement asking that the community refrain from doing so. At the GLBT Center, a sign posted to the door warned people their bags would be searched.Īnxieties over security dissuaded some people from holding makeshift vigils. "Put them back in the closet? Not going to happen."Īrmed officers were called in this week to stand guard at blood donation centres. "To go and let somebody scare them enough to not go out anymore, not do their normal routine in life, they can't do that," she says. Richter counselled some young callers, reminding them that it took decades for the gay community to win the rights it now has. Lizzie Tracy, left, and Dee Richter, volunteers at the GLBT Center of Central Florida, say the community is afraid to go out anymore. "I got phone calls last night from a couple kids, telling me they don't want to go to the clubs anymore," says Dee Richter, a volunteer. Some wept together as the deadly shooting spree cast a chilling effect on feeling out and proud in Orlando. Mixed in with the grief this week in Orlando have been worries about safety for the LGBT community.Īt the GLBT Center of Central Florida yesterday, ashen-faced volunteers exchanged tight hugs. The attack became the worst mass shooting by a single gunman in American history.
He had reportedly been to Pulse before, with one man describing Mateen as a "regular" at the club. He murdered 49 people and wounded 53 others before police killed him in a shootout.
There was little reason for any of it.Īs with many gay clubs in LGBT America, Orlando's Pulse nightclub was considered a sanctuary for the community. There were no metal detectors inside, no bag checks, no pat-downs.