Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Chicagoans remember the Pulse tragedy
by Matt Simonette
2017-06-12

This article shared 570 times since Mon Jun 12, 2017
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Center on Halsted's Hoover-Leppen Theater was filled to capacity June 12 as LGBTQ community members and allies came together to mark the year that has passed since the shootings at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

An overflow crowd watched on television monitors in the theater's lobby as the program began with remarks from Joanna Thompson, the Center's community outreach and engagement coordinator. She explained that the vigil was planned around the motto "Honor them with Action" and encouraged audience members to add that as a hashtag to social media postings about Pulse to honor the 49 individuals who were killed that early morning.

Chicago Commission on Human Relations Commissioner Mona Noriega read a letter sent by Mayor Rahm Emanuel. He called the massacre "an attack on our fundamental values—values that we share as Chicagoans and as Americans. It was an attack on culture and community. It was an attack on love, life and our inherent liberties therein. So in honoring the lives and legacies of those taken, we are challenged to stand against violence and against hate. We know this was not just an attack on one city or on one venue. It was an attack on all of us.

"We know that most of the victims of this massacre were mostly Puerto Rican and Latino. So today we stand in solidarity not just with the LGBT community, but also with the Latino community. Today, and every day, we must stand up with everyone who feels marginalized, and let them know that they are part of our Chicago family," Emanuel added.

Noriega offered her own reflections on the event, explaining that the shootings were "clearly a hate crime" and that the community had lived through collective traumas before, such as during the AIDS crisis. She praised the many communities that banded together to support one another in the wake of the Pulse incident and remarked on the "powerfulness of knowing that when I am attacked … I don't stand alone."

Mike Morales, who attended University of Central Florida, recalled his horror when he had heard about the shootings. He was not able to contact friends and family members on the that day since phone lines were so busy.

"The fear, anguish and anger were hard to contain," he said. "… Forty-nine souls tragically passed away and we've mourned their lives ever since."

The vigil, Morales concluded, reaffirmed "our commitment to love and our absolute rejection of hatred."

David Gauna, a member of the Association of Latinos/as Motivating Action ( ALMA ) Youth Advisory Board, spoke further about the episode's impact on Chicago's Latinx community. He said that he'd often loved Latin nights at gay clubs "because that's when I had the best chance of meeting someone like me."

Gauna said that the days following the shootings were marked by "pain and confusion" but also a tremendous amount of support.

"I will not go back to a life of fear," he added.

After a performance of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors" by the Windy City Gay Chorus and the Windy City Treble Quire, Rev. Joy Strome of Lakeview Presbyterian Church offered remarks. The names and ages of all 49 of the Pulse victims were then read, each punctuated with a bell toll.

Finally, forty-nine candles were lit and passed to many in the audience.

"Our movement is guided by 49 spirits, who are dancing, who are voguing, and who will continue to live through us," said Gauna.



The video playlist below contains multiple videos. Choose Playlist in the top left hand corner to watch videos out of order, if preferred.



This article shared 570 times since Mon Jun 12, 2017
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

The Jeff Awards announces the 50th anniversary awards for non-equity theater
2024-03-26
--From a press release - A complete list of recipients can also be found online in the Non-Equity and News and Events sections at www.jeffawards.org. (March 25, 2024 - Chicago) — Celebrating its 50th anniversary awarding recognition for Non-Equity theater, the ...


Gay News

Former Chicago Girl Scouts CEO Brooke Wiseman to receive Luminary Award
2024-03-22
Brooke Wiseman, a now-retired nonprofit leader in the Chicago area, spent most of her career creating leadership development opportunities for girls and women—and making sure that hungry children could be fed. While leading Girl Scouts of ...


Gay News

Alyssa Naeher wins National Women's Soccer League Impact Save of the Week
2024-03-20
--From a press release - CHICAGO (March 20, 2024) — Chicago Red Stars goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher earned National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Deloitte Impact Save of the Week honors, the league announced today. Seven minutes into the eight minutes of added ...


Gay News

Affinity celebrates Burning Bowl while looking toward the future
2024-03-19
On March 17, Affinity Community Services held its annual Burning Bowl ceremony even as it already sets its organizational sights on 2025. The event, titled Burning Bowl 2024 Evolution, was held at Studio Imani, 5917 N. ...


Gay News

Windy City Times seeks nominations for 30 Under 30 Awards
2024-03-18
--From a press release - CHICAGO—After a four-year hiatus, Windy City Times has revived its 30 Under 30 Awards. Windy City Times is seeking to recognize 30 more outstanding LGBTQ+ individuals (and allies). Nominees should be 30 years or younger as ...


Gay News

Oprah, Niecy Nash-Betts honored at GLAAD Media Awards
2024-03-15
Oprah Winfrey and Niecy Nash-Betts were honored at the 35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards that took place in Los Angeles at The Beverly Hilton on March 14. Winfrey received the Vanguard Award, introduced by iconic Chicago ...


Gay News

Chicago History Museum announces "Designing for Change: Chicago Protest Art of the 1960s - 70s exhibition
2024-03-14
--From a press release - CHICAGO (March 14, 2024) ā€” The Chicago History Museum is thrilled to announce its upcoming exhibition, "Designing for Change: Chicago Protest Art of the 1960sā€”70s." Set to open on Saturday, May 18, 2024, this exhibition is ...


Gay News

Women's History Month doesn't do enough to lift up Black lesbians
2024-03-12
Fifty years ago, in 1974, the Combahee River Collective (CRC) was founded in Boston by several lesbian and feminist women of African descent. As a sisterhood, they understood that their acts of protest were shouldered by ...


Gay News

Center on Halsted's signature Human First Gala to return
2024-03-11
--From a press release - CHICAGO, IL ā€” Center on Halsted's signature Human First Gala will be held on Saturday, April 20 at The Geraghty. The gala brings together LGBTQ+ community members and allies for an evening of celebration to recognize ...


Gay News

SAVOR Eldridge Williams talks new concepts, Beyonce, making history
2024-03-08
One restaurant would be enough for most people to handle. However, this year Eldridge Williams is opening two new concepts—including one that will be the first Black-owned country-and-western bar in the Midwest. Williams, an ally of ...


Gay News

SAVOR Let's Talk Womxn's 'More Than March'; Adobo Grill's tequila dinner
2024-03-06
I was fortunate enough to be invited to a culinary event that celebrates the achievement of women—and, fittingly, it happened during Women's History Month. On March 1, Let's Talk Womxn Chicago held its annual "More Than ...


Gay News

Without compromise: Holly Baggett explores lives of iconoclasts Margaret Anderson and Jane Heap
2024-03-04
Jane Heap (1883-1964) and Margaret Anderson (1886-1973), each of them a native Midwesterner, woman of letters and iconoclast, had a profound influence on literary culture in both America and Europe in the early 20th Century. Heap ...


Gay News

Anti-LGBTQ+ Republican McConnell to step down from leading U.S. Senate
2024-02-29
U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) will step down from Senate leadership in November, having served in that capacity longer than any senator in history, The Advocate noted. McConnell has been a senator since 1985 and has ...


Gay News

ELECTIONS 2024 Raymond Lopez talks congressional run, Chuy Garcia, migrant crisis
2024-02-26
Chicago Ald. Raymond Lopez has been a member of City Council since 2015, representing the 15th Ward and making history as one of the city's first LGBTQ+ Latine alderman. Now, he is setting his sights on ...


Gay News

SAG Awards honor Streisand, few LGBTQ+ actors
2024-02-25
Queer entertainers made their mark—although not a major one—at the 2024 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, held Feb. 24 in Los Angeles. The event was live-streamed on Netflix for the first time. Indigenous and Two-Spirit actor ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.