USA TODAY International Edition
Across USA, vigils honor Orlando victims
LGBT activist says gays, Muslims must stand together
Sunday night more than 100 mourners braved drizzling rain and lightning to attend a candlelight vigil on the shore of Lake Eola in downtown Orlando to remember victims of the Pulse nightclub attack.
Around the country, other communities shared in Orlando’s grief, gathering to pray, sing and stand against acts of violence.
“We’re not allowing fear to dictate our actions. We all woke up in darkness, and we really didn’t know how to deal with any of it,” said organizer Mitch Foster, founder and publisher of Shows I Go To Music Magazine.
“We were lost and scared, unsure. Defeated. I didn’t want to get out of bed this morning because of the things I’ve dealt with with the shooting at the concert venue,” Foster said.
“That’s one of our homes. We go to a lot of concerts there,” he said.
Orlando resident Cassandra Turner’s brother worked at Pulse from 2011 to 2015, and she lives about three miles from the nightclub.
“This is a time for us to stand together as one. If we were afraid to show up at this park today, that would have made whoever did that last night win,” Turner told the candlelight vigil crowd, eliciting calls of “Amen!”
“We’re here today because we’re strong, OK? Because we’re resilient. And better than all of that,” she said.
In Indianapolis, thousands who celebrated Indy Pride on Saturday gathered at Old National Center Sunday night for a vigil organized by Indy Pride to pray for the victims, and celebrate the progress and love that the weekend’s Pride events highlighted.
“It’s ironic to go from something so celebratory to something so tragic and unnecessary,” said Miranda Zoch as she wiped tears from her eyes after the vigil.
Rima Khan- Shahid, executive director at the Muslim Alliance of Indiana, condemned the attacks, speaking of unity and peace. After she spoke, the crowd stood with a resounding ovation.
“We urge community to stand against all acts of violence,” Khan- Shahid said.
In Chicago, hundreds of people joined in mourning at “Boystown,” the first officially recognized gay village in the USA. Boystown is the commonly accepted nickname for the eclectic East Lakeview neighborhood that is home to Chicago’s gay and lesbian community, according to ChicagoPride.com.
Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson told the crowd he’s beefed up patrols in the city’s historically gay enclave — a step that police chiefs in New York, San Francisco and Washington also took in the aftermath of the rampage.
“Our goal is to make sure you are safe,” Johnson told the crowd.
Andy Thayer, an activist with the Gay Liberation Network, said that it was important that solidarity between the LGBT and Muslim communities at this moment was vital.
“An attack on one of is an attack on all of us,” Thayer said. “We are a rainbow community. ... So as we go forward, my message to our community is: We cannot multiply the hate that we saw at 2 a. m. this morning by scapegoating Muslims or people of other faiths.”