With Help from Around the World and Closer to Home, Orlando Begins to Pick Up the Pieces

The events of June 12, 2016 will be etched into our memories for a very long time. In the early hours of that morning, 49 people, many of whom were our friends and confidants, were taken from this world. In the hours afterward, we began the grieving process and struggled to make sense of such a senseless attack on an LGBT safe space right in our own backyard. When I was asked for a quote from a media outlet regarding how we feel, I told them something to the effect of, "Today is the day we cry, and tomorrow and the days after are days for strength." That is especially true for Orlando and other cities in Central Florida, who all banded together to show their support and solidarity with the people wounded and with the families and friends of the deceased.

Immediately, blood banks across Central Florida were filled to capacity, as the people who could feasibly donate blood rushed to do so. Some people, who were forced to sit out due to FDA blood screening regulations, stockpiled food and snacks for the people who were donating blood, as the centers quickly ran out of their own stock. Vigils were organized all over the world in addition to Central Florida, where thousands paid their respects in Sarasota, Tampa, St. Petersburg, and other cities. The vigil at Lake Eola in downtown Orlando, held a week after the tragedy, brought 50,000 people together to celebrate the 49 people who were taken from us far too soon.

As of press time, over 110,000 people from all over the world donated to a GoFundMe page set up for the Pulse victims and their families by Equality Florida. Celebrities such as Jeffree Star got the ball rolling by donating $20,000. The GoFundMe organization donated $100,000 themselves. $5.6 million has been raised via GoFundMe as of press time, and the funds are expected to be distributed within a year.

Mayor Buddy Dyer has also created the OneOrlando Fund, which he announced after the June 13 vigil at the Dr. Phillips Center, which brought thousands into the downtown Orlando area to mourn and to remember. The Walt Disney Company donated $1 million to the fund, which will go to nonprofit organizations serving victims and their families, Hispanic, LGBTQ and faith groups. Darden Restaurants donated $500,000; the DeVos family (owners of the Orlando Magic) donated $400,000; and the Magic donated an extra $100,000, as did JetBlue and the Orlando City Soccer Club. Mears Transportation, Orlando's largest taxi company for over 75 years, also donated $50,000. Other companies vowing to donate include NBCUniversal ($1 million); JPMorgan Chase ($500,000); Target Corp. ($250,000); Publix Super Markets ($250,000); and Citigroup ($100,000). These are just a few of the local and international companies that have come together to help Orlando help its own.

I notice that quite a few LGBT-owned establishments, including nearly every bar, club and restaurant in the Orlando metro and Tampa Bay areas, will be hosting fundraisers and benefits with donations given straight to one of the two major Pulse shooting victim funds. The day of the shooting, the Flamingo Resort in St. Petersburg turned their normal Sunday routine into an impromptu fundraiser. Hamburger Mary's Tampa held a drag revue and a bingo game, with all proceeds going to Orlando. Parliament House Orlando held a fundraiser, "Unidos", which emphasized the loss in our community while not forgetting that the majority of lives lost were Hispanic. The Center, SAVOY Orlando, City Side, Enigma, and other popular organizations and venues will also be holding their own benefits.

Southern Nights Orlando organized a benefit for Pulse in less than 24 hours, and the response was enormous. "After about 12 hours [of our posting about the benefit online], we had entertainers around the country asking if they could be a part of it," said Southern Nights owner Rick Kowalczyk. Owners and managers of Pulse were in attendance, as were over 40 entertainers and many concerned members of the community. "In a time of such tragedy the community stepped up to show they are not afraid and they are coming out to support! And support they did!" he said. The event raised over $70,000 for the community, by the community.

Now, as we bury the people who left this life way too soon, my words from that interview really steel my resolve. Today, and the days afterward, are for strength, and I am so happy to see how Orlando has pulled together to help its own, and how other communities have pledged that #TheyAreOrlando. They, too, are #OrlandoStrong. If anything good can come from such a tragedy, it's that they can't kill our spirit. And they won't.