By Camas Frank ~
Members of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance (GALA) of the Central Coast and their local allies took part in a on June 13 “solidarity march” from the organization’s office on Palm Street to Mission Plaza, followed by a vigil for the Orlando, Fla., shooting victims.
Called an anti-hate rally, the experience touched many on a deep emotional level and illustrated the values of the community as a whole.
“It was very moving to take part in the GALA vigil for the Orlando victims,” said SLO Mayor Jan Marx, who sent out a photo of her own from the event. “Our City has done the very best we can to prepare, but hopefully will never experience being accosted by a terrorist assailant like this. What he did was EVIL. We stand with Love, not hate.”
The June 12 massacre, both the largest mass shooting and terrorist attack on American soil in over a decade, took place at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, while the club hosted “Latin Night.”
Pulse is known as a community center of sorts for the Orlando LGBT community, a fact President Obama tackled directly in an address to the nation.
“We know enough to say this was an act of terror and act of hate,” he said. “This is an especially heartbreaking day for our friends who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.”
With 49 dead and 53 reported injured, ideological motives of the only identified gunman, including a possible tie to ISIS, remain uncertain at best.
While residents and leaders on the Central Coast sought to demonstrate that homophobia and bigotry have no place among us, Democratic Congressional Representatives addressed the weapon used, a previously banned AR-15 assault rifle.
Rep. Lois Capps representing SLO County sent out a photo of herself engaged in a sit-in protest on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on June 22.
The protest action reminiscent of the Civil Rights Era was designed at forcing a vote on gun control measures that could have kept the suspected Orlando shooter from purchasing the weapon had they been in effect. Photos courtesy Facebook feeds of Jan Marx and Lois Capps.
