![roanoke va gay bar shooting roanoke va gay bar shooting](https://images.indianexpress.com/2016/06/orlando-attack-759.jpg)
Pulse was a safe space for the LGBT community in Orlando it was a space designed to welcome those still trying to come to terms with their sexuality and find like-minded individuals, and a space that welcomed friends for a night of fun. It is a place of solidarity and empowerment.” Yes, Pulse was that and so much more. As President Obama noted in his solemn remarks following the Orlando massacre: “The shooter targeted a nightclub where people came together to be with friends, to dance and to sing and to live.” It “is more than a nightclub. The Orlando Nightclub shooting didn’t just tragically end the lives of 49 LGBT brothers, sisters and allies it destroyed the perception that gay bars are our ultimate safe space. For decades, gay bars have functioned not merely as watering holes but as gathering places and de facto community centres for those seeking acceptance. It happened in a gay nightclub, and gay bars and nightclubs have traditionally served as safe spaces for members of our community. I say nowhere is safe because this focused attack didn’t erupt in a busy mall food court or a public school, as have some of the most notorious mass shootings in the US in recent decades. What matters now is trying to move forward as a community with the knowledge that nowhere is really safe, especially for the most marginalized members of the LGBT community. Nor have they learned how other motivations, such as homophobia or Mateen’s own possible struggles with his own sexuality, might have factored into the attack.
![roanoke va gay bar shooting roanoke va gay bar shooting](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2016/06/24/backstreet-cafe-full_wide-2b3e7dab53ef544fdcb3f8e55f113313aafc5b92-s1100-c50.jpg)
What was his motive? National security officials south of the border have said they haven’t determined whether Mateen was inspired by foreign terrorist organizations. Was Mateen gay? The gunman’s ex-wife, Sitora Yusufiy, has said she was not sure about his sexuality, but it doesn’t matter. The haunting details are endless, but what we will always remember is that this was the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history. His wife, Noor Zahi Salman, revealed that they exchanged text messages during the rampage, before he was killed in a shootout with SWAT officers three hours after he entered the club. Headlines detailed his unfettered access to assault weapons, and we learned that he fired more than 200 bullets that night. Several regulars said Mateen frequented Pulse, and others claimed he had profiles on various gay dating apps. Mateen, was born in Queens, New York, and lived in Fort Pierce, about a two-hour drive from the site of the massacre. The shooting occurred just before 2 a.m., towards the end of one of the club’s popular Latin nights, with bachata, merengue and salsa music pumping from the speakers. In the days that passed after the attack, we learned more about what happened in those early hours. It’s a moment in time that is violently carved into the hearts of the LGBT community around the world. But, still…everything about the morning of Sunday, June 12, remains painful. It’s been months since the LGBT community and the world woke to reports that a lone gunman had killed 49 people and injured another 53 during a horrific shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida. We've been connected for a long time.Creating something positive-and life-changing-out of the anger and dismay at this terrible event… "It happened in one place in Florida, but it impacts how people feel in Massachusetts, California, Texas. "A hate crime in Orlando hurts gay people everywhere," he said. Tony Plakas, chief executive officer of Compass Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Palm Beach County, said the Orlando tragedy transcends the gay community. I am not going to change being who I am." I am not going to let that change anything,'' said Diego D'Alessandro, 31, of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. "I am not going to change the way I live because of fear. I felt so violated last night I wanted to be here and feel connected to my community."įor others, the news only strengthened their resolve to be out and proud especially during Pride events. "I immediately came here because I wanted to feel safe again. "To think that a couple hours away, that we were both doing the same thing but had totally different outcomes is just awful,'' he said.
![roanoke va gay bar shooting roanoke va gay bar shooting](https://www.pinknews.co.uk/images/2018/10/KristinaDeLeon-twitter-1-650x673.jpg)
Kareff said he was dancing to salsa early Sunday morning at The Manor nightclub in Wilton Manors, like the patrons at Pulse.