This year marks the 10-year anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, a tragedy that forever changed the LGBTQ+ community and the nation as a whole.
On June 12, 2016, what should have been a night of music, dancing, friendship, and celebration turned into one of the deadliest mass shootings in modern American history. Pulse was hosting Latin Night, a beloved event that brought together many members of Orlando’s Latino LGBTQ+ community. In the early morning hours, a gunman opened fire inside the club, killing 49 people and wounding 53 others. At the time, it was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history and remains the deadliest attack against LGBTQ+ people in American history.
That same weekend, I was in Dayton, Ohio, attending the All-American Goddess, AAG @ Large, and All-American Gent national pageants. Looking back, I remember carrying a feeling of vulnerability that is difficult to describe unless you’ve lived it. We were gathered in celebration of our identities, our artistry, and our community. Yet the news unfolding in Florida reminded many of us that simply existing openly as LGBTQ+ people could make us targets.
Being in a large crowd suddenly felt different.
Every entrance was noticed.
Every unfamiliar face was questioned.
Every moment of joy carried a shadow of uncertainty.
What struck me then, and still strikes me now, is that Pulse was not just a nightclub. For many LGBTQ+ people, especially those who have been rejected by family, faith communities, or hometowns, spaces like Pulse become a second home. They become places where people can breathe freely, hold someone’s hand without fear, dance without judgment, and feel seen for who they truly are.
The fact that the attack occurred on Latin Night added another painful layer. The victims represented a community that often carries multiple identities at once, LGBTQ+, Latino, immigrant families, sons, daughters, siblings, friends. The loss rippled through countless communities simultaneously.
Ten years later, the numbers remain staggering:
- 49 lives lost
- 53 people wounded
- More than 300 people were inside the club during the attack
- The average age of many victims was in their 20s and 30s
- Thousands of family members, friends, first responders, and survivors continue to carry the impact of that night
As a queer veteran, Pride Month always brings a mixture of emotions. There is celebration, gratitude, and community. But there is also remembrance. We honor those who came before us, those who fought for our rights, and those whose lives were taken simply because they wanted to spend an evening surrounded by people who understood them.
Ten years later, Pulse remains a reminder that visibility matters. Safe spaces matter. Community matters.
And perhaps most importantly, love matters.
Because hatred sought to silence a community that night.
Instead, it reminded us why we continue to show up for one another.
Today, I remember the 49. I remember the survivors. I remember the fear many of us felt in those days that followed. And I remember the resilience of a community that refused to disappear.
Gone, but never forgotten. 🕯️🏳️🌈💜
#Pulse10YearsLater #PulseOrlando #HonorThe49 #LGBTQHistory #PrideMonth #NeverForgotten #LoveIsLove #QueerVeteran