Valencia College students remembered victims of the Pulse tragedy during Pride Month.  Earlier this summer, a group of Valencia College students came together outside of the former Pulse nightclub to honor those victims who passed away six years ago in a mass shooting.

“Pulse is something that strikes close to the heart for us since seven of the victims were our students,” said Ayla Polanco, 24, program specialist in student development at the Valencia College Osceola campus.

Before Pulse was considered a sanctuary for the LGBTQ community, the nightclub was founded in 2004 by Barbara Poma, and a close friend of hers in honor of Poma’s older brother who passed away during the AIDS epidemic.

“This club was kind of made in his remembrance and was a place for connection and community whether you were straight or gay, this was a place for everyone to come and have a good time,” Carley Matthews, 21, program specialist for the onePULSE Foundation said.

The massacre at Pulse touched the hearts of many people who weren’t actively involved in the community.

Samm Rials, 23, part of the Student Development staff on the Valencia College West Campus explained that it is very important for people to remember what happened since it was one of the most devastating tragedies in the U.S.  She also expressed that the trip to the Pulse nightclub was organized for genuine reasons because the college wanted to pay respect to the victims affected by the tragedy, especially to those seven Valencia College students who were tragically part of it.

As the gay-rights movement started to be recognized worldwide, more non-profit organizations and clubs began to show their support for it. Valencia College has the Gay-Straight Alliance Club (GSA) whose purpose is to raise awareness and create a safe place for students.

“In this past year, I have learned a lot about leadership skills and a lot more about the community here and that is something that I find very significant because I just moved here about three years ago from a different country,” Tala Alqadi, 20, president of the GSA club at the Valencia College Osceola Campus said.

As part of the mission of the club, GSA hosts different types of events throughout the year where students can come together, meet each other, and find out there is a bigger community within Valencia with people like them.

“Hopefully, we will be having more educational events dedicated to those who are from the community, allies, and those who are curious and want to learn more,” Alqadi said.

The Pulse massacre happened on June 12, 2016.  This was not a coincidence since the beginnings of the Pride movement started 47 ago, in June 1969, during the Stonewall Riots in New York City where the police raided the Stonewall Inn. This incident led to protests that lasted for six days.  These violent encounters served as a jumpstart in gay-rights movement, and finally, in 1999, Bill Clinton became the first U.S. president to officially recognize Pride Month.

Despite progress, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, the LGBTQ community frequently faces threats, harassment, and violence online, and regularly sees comments that deny their humanity and right to exist.