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They cried and hugged and wiped tears from others’ faces. They spoke of coming out, of finding strength among their peers, of feeling scared and vulnerable and angry after the shooting. Hundreds of people flooded the downtown streets, which Johnson notes the Grand Rapids Police Department immediately agreed to shut down to cars and patrol during the event, for the candlelit vigil, which included hugs, tears, impromptu singing, and many a story from residents who spoke of the importance of the Grand Rapids LGBTQ community in their lives. “When I woke up Sunday morning and saw everything that was going on, I called my manager right away and said, ‘We need to put together a vigil tonight and show the world that Grand Rapids cares, and that we support our community - not just here, but across the world,” says Bob Johnson, the owner of the Apartment Lounge.Īnd show they did. In cities around the globe, from Grand Rapids to New York to London, LGBTQ communities, and their allies, gathered to mourn the victims, who ranged in age from 18 to 50 and included avid travelers and talented dancers and recent graduates - individuals who family members described as the best people, the greatest daughters and sons and parents and friends. Another 53 people were wounded in the attack that happened in a space that was supposed to be safe - safe for an LGBTQ community that has, for far too long, been subjected to constant violence and harassment, safe for people to be who they are, safe for anyone, no matter their gender identity or sexual orientation or race, to dance and laugh and raise their glass with friends. Instead, it became a day of mourning after a gunman, armed with an assault style rifle, shot and killed 49 individuals, many of them gay, lesbian and transgender people of color, during a Latin-themed night at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla. It is a moment of both strength and heartbreak at a time that should have been a day of celebration for the LGBTQ community around the nation, with Pride parades and other Pride Month events organized across the country where, almost exactly one year ago, marriage equality became a reality. And there’s pride in my heart ‘cause I know where I’m going - yes I do. “There’s a struggle that we have yet to win.
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“There’s a dream in the future,” Jasinya Sanchez, a beloved drag performer in Grand Rapids, belts out, the words to “I Know Where I’ve Been” filling a space where hundreds of people from Grand Rapids’ LGBTQ+ community, and their allies, stand, swaying to the acapella rendition of the “Hairspray” tune. There, outside Michigan’s oldest gay bar, people from all walks of life stand shoulder to shoulder, raising candles towards the darkening night sky and begin to sing. As the sun sets this past Sunday, a day that begins with one of the worst mass shootings in the history of the United States, the people of Grand Rapids start to descend upon the streets around the Apartment Lounge.