![north carolina gay pride tattoo north carolina gay pride tattoo](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/45/73/bc/4573bc8cb5bafc4e74cd251b3ddbb43f.jpg)
Within hours of the shooting, more than 100 “ We Are Orlando” vigils had been organized across the country, from the courthouse steps in Butte, Mont., to gay bars in Greensboro, N.C., and Tulsa, Okla. Blood donation centers have been overwhelmed. The Empire State Building remained dark Sunday night in honor of the victims. Marco Rubio of Florida condemned the attacks. Political figures including President Obama and Republican Sen. The Pulse attack spurred an outpouring of support from across the social and political spectrum. “They win if we allow these senseless and hateful acts to make us get back in the closet.”
![north carolina gay pride tattoo north carolina gay pride tattoo](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/d3/d1/d6/d3d1d682faea9e9a8340023325fa7ceb--southern-pride-team-logo.jpg)
“Then I pretty quickly became mad that this is still happening in the United States,” Jean said. But Sunday’s attack still shocked, then saddened, her. Jean, the chief executive of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. A Mississippi law allows businesses and faith-based groups to deny housing, jobs and adoption services to people based on their sexual orientation.Īs lines at blood donation centers grew longer Sunday, some people railed that gay men are still typically banned from donating blood, a legacy of the AIDS epidemic.įrom AIDS to killings of transgender people, the LGBT community is too familiar with tragedy, said Lorri L. This year, North Carolina became the first state to ban people from using government-owned restrooms and locker rooms that don’t match the gender written on their birth certificates. In the last two years, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocates have fought a wave of legislation they say is toxic to LGBT Americans. “This is a depressing reminder that there are people who hate us.” “I feel very lucky that now I live in Los Angeles, where it’s easy to be out,” she said. The club became an important fixture, she said, as the place she first kissed a girl, the place she felt safe in her hometown. Lauren Brown, 26, of Silver Lake was raised in Orlando, and went to Pulse as she began to explore her sexuality. “We still aren’t where we need to be as a society.”
![north carolina gay pride tattoo north carolina gay pride tattoo](https://i.etsystatic.com/11012956/r/il/fbd7b4/803395089/il_794xN.803395089_5f6b.jpg)
“These places have significance to our community, which is what makes this all the worse,” said Carlos Guillermo Smith, a spokesman for Equality Florida.