A YEAR AGO
TODAY 49 PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN
THE PULSE NIGHTCLUB IN ORLANDO.
IT WAS THE UNITED STATES MOST
DEADLIEST KILLING EVER.
>> I MISS PULSE.
I MISS EVERYTHING IT STOOD FOR.
I MISS
SERVING THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY IN A WAY THAT ONLY A GAY BAR
CAN.
I AM GRATEFUL AND COMFORTED WHEN I SEE YOUR PICTURES OF THE
BEST TIMES OF YOUR LIVES.
IT BREAKS MY HEART THAT YOUR SANCTUARY WAS
TAKEN FROM YOU, BUT I KNOW WE
ARE RESILIENT AND I KNOW WE WILL NOT LET HATE WIN.
>> THAT WAS EXTREMELY MOVING.
SHE ALSO HELD A MEMORIAL SERVICE
AT THE NIGHTCLUB.
YOU CAN SEE HERE A PICTURE OF THE LARGE
GROUP THAT MADE A CIRCLE OUTSIDE THE CLUB.
PULSE HAS BEEN BOARDED
UP SINCE THE EVENT LAST YEAR.
THE SHOOTING LAST YEAR WAS
DEVASTATING BUT IT WAS NOT THE
ONLY TIME THAT THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY FACED A VIOLENT
BACKLASH.
LAST
YEAR WAS ACTUALLY THE DEADLIEST YEAR FOR MEMBERS
OF THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY.
THIS IS A TIME WHEN WE ARE SUPPOSED TO
BE MORE TOLERANT AND ACCEPTING, AND IT IS UNFORTUNATE AND SAD
THAT WE ARE STILL FACING THESE HATE CRIMES.
OBVIOUSLY PEOPLE
WITH THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY ARE TWICE AS LIKELY AS WHITES
AND ABLE BODIES TO BE THE
VICTIMS OF HARASSMENT.
JUNE IS PRIDE MONTH, THAT IS WHY THE
ATTACKER TARGETED PULSE THAT
NIGHT.
AS A WAY TO REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED I LIKE THAT SHE IS
COMING OUT AND SAYING THAT SHE WILL MAKE A MUSEUM AND
MEMORIAL FOR THOSE MEMBERS THAT PASSED AWAY.
>> I WENT BY THE PULSE NIGHTCLUB A FEW MONTHS AGO, IT IS WEIRD.
I
WAS ON MY WAY TO A PORT TO CATCH
A BOAT.
IT WAS LATE AT NIGHT, MAYBE 11 OR MIDNIGHT.
WHILE
BOARDED UP IT WAS SURROUNDED BY
FLOWERS AND A LIVING MEMORIAL AS TO WHAT HAPPEN THERE.
THAT
COMMUNITY IS STILL VERY
CONNECTED TO THAT PLACE AND REMEMBERING THAT HISTORY.
THE
OTHER THING THAT STRIKES ME IS
THAT THIS IS A TIME WHEN THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY IS ñ
NOW WE FIND OURSELVES IN A SITUATION WHERE THE COMMUNITY
IS ON THE DEFENSIVE A BIT.
>> I THINK MEMBERS OF THAT COMMUNITY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ON
THE DEFENSIVE.
I THINK THAT IS WHAT WE ARE SEEING IN THE
REPORTING, OR LACK THEREOF.
DESPITE THE FACT THAT WITH PULSE
WE SEE THAT PEOPLE OF COLOR WERE DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED,
EVEN IN CERTAIN PRIDE MARCHES WE STILL SEE LGBTQ FOLKS TO
DE-CENTER WHITENESS, DESPITE THE FACT THAT INSTANCES OF VIOLENCE
DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECT PEOPLE
OF COLOR AND FOLKS WHO ARE NOT ABLE-BODIED OR ARE DIFFERENT.
I THINK THAT IS KIND OF
WHAT THE RECORD OR REPORT IS
GETTING AT.
I THINK IF WE HAVE MORE COVERAGE WE ALSO FORCE A
CONVERSATION AROUND SEXUAL IDENTITY, RACE AND THINGS THAT
WE NEED TO TALK TO ABOUT.
>> I THINK THE PROBLEM IS THAT THERE IS A CONVERSATION BUT ON
THE WRONG SIDE.
TRUMP IS PASSING THESE RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
EXECUTIVE ORDERS.
HE IS ALSO NOT PROTECTING PEOPLE OF COLOR, AND
THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY, DISABLED PEOPLE ñ THERE IS SO
MUCH OF THIS RHETORIC OUT THERE
THAT I THINK THERE IS MORE OF AN ACCEPTANCE FOR VIOLENCE AGAINST
THEM OR HATE SPEECH AGAINST PEOPLE WITHIN THESE COMMUNITIES
THAN EVER BEFORE.
WE NEED TO SHIFT IT BACK TO TOLERANCE AND ACCEPTANCE.
>> BUT THOSE LEGISLATIVE ROLLBACKS ARE SIGNIFICANT.
IT IS
NOT JUST THE RHETORIC, IT'S THE FACT THAT THEY ARE REALLY
ROLLING BACK LEGISLATIVE GAINS.
THIS IS A TURNING POINT.
BECAUSE
OF THE RHETORIC AND THOSE MOVES YOU NEED TO HAVE ANY KIND OF
DIALOGUE OR CONVERSATION, AND IT
IS HARDER TO HAVE IT.
I AM ACTUALLY EMBARRASSED TO SAY I
HAVEN'T EVEN CONSIDERED THAT WITHIN AN OPPRESSED COMMUNITY
THERE IS EVEN A MORE OPPRESSED COMMUNITY.
THERE IS A LOT THAT
IS NEGATIVE AT THIS MOMENT IN
TIME.