ORLANDO | Hundreds gathered at the Pulse memorial June 12 to honor and remember the 49 lives lost just two years ago within the nightclub at the memorial’s location.
The crowd watched performances from the Orlando Gay Chorus, Blue Star, the Orlando Philharmonic and more.
ORLANDO | Noor Salmon, the wife of the Pulse gunman, was acquitted March 30 of charges that linked her to the nightclub shooting.
Salmon was charged with obstruction of justice and providing material support to a foreign terrorism organization.
A jury on Friday acquitted Noor Salman of charges that she helped her husband carry out the 2016 massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla.
Federal prosecutors charged Salman with obstruction of justice and providing material support to a foreign terrorism organization in connection with the June 12, 2016, shooting that left 49 people dead and 53 others injured. Salman’s trial began earlier this month at a federal courthouse in downtown Orlando that is roughly two miles from the Pulse nightclub.
FAVORITE LOCAL POLITICIAN/ACTIVIST
First: Patty Sheehan, Orlando City Commissioner – District 4
Second: Buddy Dyer, Orlando Mayor
Third: Carlos Guillermo Smith, Florida House Representative – District 49
GREATEST STRAIGHT ALLY TO THE LOCAL LGBTQ COMMUNITY
First: Buddy Dyer, Orlando Mayor
Second: Anna Eskamani, Florida House candidate – District 47
Third: Darren Soto, U.S. House of Representatives – Florida’s 9th District
CENTRAL FLORIDA’S FAVORITE LOCAL LGBTQ SPORTS LEAGUE/ORGANIZATION
If you want to know how many members of the LGBTQ community support Orlando Pride soccer all you need do is check out the backs of our cars. Affixed to our bumpers— next to our yellow and blue HRC equal sign— you will see the Orlando Pride magnet.
The purple and light blue logo featuring the famous Lake Eola fountain can be found throughout the city. Sure, it is usually side-by-side with Orlando City Soccer’s purple and yellow lion shield, but when the ballots were counted it was the women’s team that had our readers busting with pride–maybe next year, boys.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, Commissioner Patty Sheehan, Pulse owner Barbara Poma, Pulse survivors, and members of law enforcement joined with LGBTQ citizens and allies for the dedication of the Pulse Memorial Labyrinth at Colonialtown Square Park on Dec 21.
The Orlando United rainbow heart at the center of the memorial is surrounded by the labyrinth outlined in brick. The outer edge is made up of 49 equal pieces of granite inscribed in gold with the names of each Pulse victim. After the dedication and a request to hold hands for a group prayer, those gathered were invited to walk the labyrinth in memory of those lost in the tragedy.
More photos of the proceedings after the jump and video clips have been posted to the Watermark Instagram page.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer honored Transgender Awareness Week by displaying the Orlando city flag in the trans flag colors.
Dyer posted the picture on Twitter Nov. 17, writing “It’s #TransWeek and I am proud to support our Transgender community because everyone deserves to be treated equally.”
A man on Sunday killed 26 people when he opened fire in a Texas church.
The San Antonio Express-News reported the gunman walked into the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, a town that is roughly 35 miles east of San Antonio. The newspaper cited local officials who said 15-20 people were wounded.
ORLANDO | A permanent rainbow crosswalk near the site of Pulse has been approved by the Florida Department of Transportation and the City of Orlando.
The crosswalk will be on West Esther St. off South Orange Ave. going from Pulse to the Dunkin’ Donuts located across the street.
ORLANDO | The GLBT Center of Central Florida reopened their doors after a nearly three year renovation with a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house Aug. 31.
The event was well attended by local and state officials, members of the community and media as Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, City Commissioner Patty Sheehan and Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy spoke to the crowd and then cut the ribbon officially opening The Center.
The news coverage of Pulse is a 24-hour cycle of tragedy. Again and again, readers are forced to relive chaos and carnage. Images of the battered wall fill our news feeds, and the faces of the 49 float in and out of our consciousness on a regular basis. Bodies in corners, mothers crying in cars, candles in the rain; remembering Pulse has come to almost exclusively mean reliving the events of June 12th.
Rarely is the legacy of the club discussed. As an LGBTQ friendly space that had been operational for well over a decade, Pulse represented many firsts for Orlando. It was the first Orlando nightclub to feature a space even remotely similar to its famed futuristic white room (that changed colors). In 2013, it became one of the first gay clubs in Central Florida to give a Saturday night home to a Latin night. The club’s opulent interior garnered national attention, earning Pulse coverage in both Club and Mondo magazines.
One year ago, a deranged killer walked into the Pulse nightclub and targeted members of our LGBTQ community on Latin Night. When the horror was over, 49 of our friends and neighbors, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, had been taken from us.
As our community reflects back on the past year, much is going to be made of reliving the tragedy, and retelling the stories of the victims and their families as we honor them.
Sign Up for our eNewsletter
Follow Us
The Exorcist! Apr 02, 2:42 PM
Hellraiser. Costume I made for spooky empire but last minute can’t afford to go. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/ccb5f4a40763561a816adf909023181aa36bf70baf9d3e0647ebabfd2a80203b.jpg Mar 28, 10:35 PM
Chuckie!!!!! Mar 28, 6:08 PM
Watermark is a multi-faceted media company using opportunities and innovations to communicate and advance LGBT interests, with a corporate emphasis on professionalism while building strong relationships with our readers, customers and community.
