Latest news with #PulseRemembranceDay
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Flags to be flown at half-staff across Florida Thursday
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Flags will be flown at half-staff all across Florida on Thursday in honor of Pulse Remembrance Day. Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a memorandum on Wednesday ordering the flags at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Thursday. 'Nine years ago, on June 12, 2016, a shooter claiming alliance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant committed a horrific act of terrorism at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Forty-nine people were killed and fifty-three were wounded,' the memorandum read. 'As a mark of respect for the victims, their families, and the many affected by this tragedy, I hereby direct the flags of the United States and the State of Florida to be flown at half-staff at all local and state buildings, installations, and grounds throughout the State of Florida.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
DeSantis omits references to LGBTQ, Hispanic communities in latest Pulse remembrance
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) didn't directly reference LGBTQ or Hispanic people in an annual order issued Thursday to honor the victims of the 2016 mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, a substantial omission that echoes recent actions by President Trump's administration against diversity and inclusion. DeSantis, who has led the state since 2019 and sought the 2024 Republican nomination for president, has mentioned the LGBTQ and Hispanic communities — the groups most devastated by the attack that killed 49 and injured dozens more — in near identical orders issued during each of his last five years in office. In those statements, DeSantis called the massacre 'a horrific act of terrorism against the LGBTQ and Hispanic communities.' Thursday's order says the attack was 'a horrific act of terrorism' without mentioning any specific groups. In 2019, his first year as governor, DeSantis was forced to issue an amended proclamation after an initial statement that also omitted references to LGBTQ people attracted widespread backlash. He said at the time that he was 'not involved' in drafting the first proclamation and requested his office issue a new one once he became aware of the exclusion. 'Sometimes these things happen, and you've got to correct them,' DeSantis said during a 2019 news conference on an unrelated matter. Multiple spokespersons for the governor did not return a request for comment on this year's omission or say whether the office would issue a new statement. Florida has recognized 'Pulse Remembrance Day' each year on June 12, the date on which the 2016 attack occurred, since its creation in 2018 by former Gov. Rick Scott (R). Now a U.S. senator, Scott said in his original proclamation that the state 'continues to mourn the tragic loss of life and recognize the lasting impact it has on our state and communities, including Florida's LGBTQ community.' In a statement on Thursday, Scott called the shooting, one of the deadliest in U.S. history, 'an act of terror targeting Orlando's LGBTQ and Hispanic communities.' A statement from Sen. Ashley Moody (R-Fla.), Florida's former attorney general whom DeSantis appointed to replace Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the Senate in January, makes no mention of LGBTQ or Latino people. DeSantis's decision to delete references to the LGBTQ and Hispanic communities from his annual order mirrors Trump administration efforts targeting diversity and inclusion and LGBTQ rights. References to diverse historical figures, including Jackie Robinson, were removed from government websites in an initial purge related to Trump's executive orders against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and 'gender ideology.' Last week, reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plans to rename an oil tanker named for the assassinated gay rights activist Harvey Milk. The Navy is also considering renaming other ships named after prominent civil rights leaders, including Harriet Tubman, Thurgood Marshall and Lucy Stone, according to a CBS News report. DeSantis has also campaigned against diversity efforts, frequently saying that DEI actually means 'discrimination, exclusion and indoctrination.' Laws signed during his tenure, including one forbidding classroom instruction on sexuality and gender, have been criticized for targeting the LGBTQ community. 'Governor DeSantis's erasure of the LGBTQ+ and Latino communities today may say a lot about what kind of person he is, but it doesn't change the fact that those were the communities most directly impacted at Pulse,' said Brandon Wolf, a Pulse survivor who serves as spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBTQ advocacy organization. 'His erasure doesn't change the fact that families have empty seats at dinner tables, friends have missing faces at birthday parties, and our communities still bear the scars.' 'Today, rather than letting the governor's petty political cowardice write our story, I hope people choose to remember those stolen and impacted, reflect on the costs of violent hate, and recommit to honoring those we loved and lost with action,' said Wolf, who lost two friends, Drew Leinonen and Juan Guerrero, in the shooting at Pulse, in a text message. Florida state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, a Democrat and the first openly gay Latino person elected to the Legislature in 2016, called DeSantis's omission 'a petty slight.' 'The Governor's on again, off again acknowledgment of those impacted by the Pulse shooting shows he cares more about scoring political points in the moment rather than showing authentic solidarity with his own constituents,' Smith said in an emailed statement, speaking on behalf of the LGBTQ rights group Equality Florida, for whom he is a senior adviser. 'Either way it would be a mistake to focus on the Governor's bigotry and exclusion. That's already well-known,' Smith added. 'Today is about remembering the 49 taken by gun violence, as well as remembering the strength and courage of those who survived and the families impacted. They will not be erased.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
DeSantis omits references to LGBTQ, Hispanic communities in latest Pulse remembrance
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) didn't directly reference LGBTQ or Hispanic people in an annual order issued Thursday to honor the victims of the 2016 mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, a substantial omission that echoes recent actions by President Trump's administration against diversity and inclusion. DeSantis, who has led the state since 2019 and sought the 2024 Republican nomination for president, has mentioned the LGBTQ and Hispanic communities — the groups most devastated by the attack that killed 49 and injured dozens more — in near identical orders issued during each of his last five years in office. In those statements, DeSantis called the massacre 'a horrific act of terrorism against the LGBTQ and Hispanic communities.' Thursday's order says the attack was 'a horrific act of terrorism' without mentioning any specific groups. In 2019, his first year as governor, DeSantis was forced to issue an amended proclamation after an initial statement that also omitted references to LGBTQ people attracted widespread backlash. He said at the time that he was 'not involved' in drafting the first proclamation and requested his office issue a new one once he became aware of the exclusion. 'Sometimes these things happen, and you've got to correct them,' DeSantis said during a 2019 news conference on an unrelated matter. Multiple spokespersons for the governor did not return a request for comment on this year's omission or say whether the office would issue a new statement. Florida has recognized 'Pulse Remembrance Day' each year on June 12, the date on which the 2016 attack occurred, since its creation in 2018 by former Gov. Rick Scott (R). Now a U.S. senator, Scott said in his original proclamation that the state 'continues to mourn the tragic loss of life and recognize the lasting impact it has on our state and communities, including Florida's LGBTQ community.' In a statement on Thursday, Scott called the shooting, one of the deadliest in U.S. history, 'an act of terror targeting Orlando's LGBTQ and Hispanic communities.' A statement from Sen. Ashley Moody (R-Fla.), Florida's former attorney general who DeSantis appointed to replace Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the Senate in January, makes no mention of LGBTQ or Latino people. DeSantis's decision to delete references to the LGBTQ and Hispanic communities from his annual order mirrors Trump administration efforts targeting diversity and inclusion and LGBTQ rights. References to diverse historical figures, including Jackie Robinson, were removed from government websites in an initial purge related to Trump's executive orders against DEI and 'gender ideology.' Last week, reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plans to rename an oil tanker named for the assassinated gay rights activist Harvey Milk. The Navy is also considering renaming other ships named after prominent civil rights leaders, including Harriet Tubman, Thurgood Marshall and Lucy Stone, according to a CBS News report. DeSantis has also campaigned against diversity efforts, frequently saying that DEI, which stands for 'diversity, equity and inclusion,' actually means 'discrimination, exclusion and indoctrination.' Laws signed during his tenure, including one forbidding classroom instruction on sexuality and gender, have been criticized for targeting the LGBTQ community. 'Governor DeSantis's erasure of the LGBTQ+ and Latino communities today may say a lot about what kind of person he is, but it doesn't change the fact that those were the communities most directly impacted at Pulse,' said Brandon Wolf, a Pulse survivor who serves as spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBTQ advocacy organization. 'His erasure doesn't change the fact that families have empty seats at dinner tables, friends have missing faces at birthday parties, and our communities still bear the scars.' 'Today, rather than letting the governor's petty political cowardice write our story, I hope people choose to remember those stolen and impacted, reflect on the costs of violent hate, and recommit to honoring those we loved and lost with action,' Wolf, who lost two friends, Drew Leinonen and Juan Guerrero, in the shooting at Pulse, said in a text message. Florida state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, a Democrat and the first openly gay Latino person elected to the Legislature in 2016, called DeSantis's omission 'a petty slight.' 'The Governor's on again, off again acknowledgment of those impacted by the Pulse shooting shows he cares more about scoring political points in the moment rather than showing authentic solidarity with his own constituents,' Smith said in an emailed statement, speaking on behalf of the LGBTQ rights group Equality Florida, for whom he is a senior adviser. 'Either way it would be a mistake to focus on the Governor's bigotry and exclusion. That's already well-known,' Smith added. 'Today is about remembering the 49 taken by gun violence, as well as remembering the strength and courage of those who survived and the families impacted. They will not be erased.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
In Pulse remembrance, DeSantis leaves out LGBTQ, Hispanic communities that were targets of massacre
After years of acknowledging the targets of the 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre — the LGBTQ and Hispanic communities — Gov. Ron DeSantis has omitted them from his official state description of Pulse Remembrance Day. This year's omission is notable largely because of what DeSantis did in 2019, his first year as governor, when he also didn't include the LGBTQ and Hispanic communities. That year, DeSantis shifted course less than 24 hours later. His office issued a statement that it said corrected the omission, blamed the staff, and said DeSantis himself directed that the LGBTQ and Hispanic communities be added. In intervening years, his annual memorandum directing flags be flown at half staff in commemoration of Pulse Remembrance Day include the LGBTQ and Hispanic communities. Thursday is Pulse Remembrance Day marking the anniversary of the June 12, 2016, massacre that took place on Latin Night at the LGBTQ club in Orlando. The gunman killed 49 people and wounded 53. DeSantis' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday about why this year's memorandum from the governor, 'Flags at Half-Staff in Honor of Pulse Remembrance Day' left out the wording 'against the LGBTQ and Hispanic communities' that has been used since. State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith D-Orlando, the state's first openly LGBTQ Hispanic senator, said there is no way it was accidental. 'The omission was as intentional as it was a slight against the impacted LGBTQ and Hispanic communities. The governor's lack of consistency here shows he cares more about scoring political points in the moment than authentic solidarity with his own constituents,' Smith said. The senator said he didn't want to 'focus on the governor's bigotry and exclusion. That's already known.' Instead, he said, Thursday should be 'about remembering the 49 lives taken by gun violence' and their families. State Sen. Shevrin Jones, a Miami Gardens Democrat and the first openly LGBTQ member of the Florida Senate, said the omission was 'deeply disappointing, but unfortunately not surprising. Governor DeSantis continues to erase or attempt to erase the very communities most impacted by the Pulse tragedy. To remember Pulse without naming the LGBTQ+ and Hispanic lives lost is to rewrite history.' This year's change comes as the national political environment has changed rapidly since President Donald Trump was elected to a second term in November and took office in January. Trump has instituted a nationwide pullback of efforts to acknowledge or promote, diversity, equity and inclusion, which includes the LGBTQ and Hispanic communities. Trump and his MAGA movement view DEI efforts as discriminatory against white people. Unlike DeSantis, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., included both communities in his statement on Thursday. 'It's been nine years since the tragic attack at Pulse Nightclub, where 49 innocent lives were taken in an act of terror targeting Orlando's LGBTQ and Hispanic communities,' Scott began. Corporations pull back from LGBTQ Pride sponsorships, affecting South Florida events In marking Pulse massacre anniversary, some politicians downplay LGBT community David Jolly launches campaign for Florida governor. Focus is on affordability, broadening Democratic base. Broward Democrats urged to summon all their energy to combat Trump and look for 2026 wins Visibility, acceptance, influence have soared in 40 years since Broward activists founded Dolphin Democrats LGBTQ political club Now the state's senior senator, Scott was governor at the time of the Pulse massacre. 'I still remember the days and weeks that followed, sitting with grieving families and loved ones, feeling the heartbreak and loss that will never fully heal. That horrible night was meant to spread fear and hatred, but instead, it united Floridians.' A formal Senate resolution, introduced by Scott and joined by U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., referred to it as an 'attack on the LGBTQ community, the Hispanic community, the City of Orlando, the State of Florida, and the United States.' But Moody, who DeSantis appointed to fill a Senate vacancy this year, was closer to the governor than Scott in her statement, which referred to the '49 innocent victims killed in the despicable attack at Pulse nightclub in Orlando.' Smith and Jones both pointed to Senate President Ben Albritton, a Republican. Albritton reposted Smith's social media post, as did the official social media account of the Republican-controlled Florida Senate, that marked '9 years since 49 angels were taken at Pulse nightclub and Orlando's LGBTQ and Latino community were shattered by grief.' The 2025 DeSantis memorandum ordering lags at half staff to commemorate Pulse Remembrance Day was virtually identical to what he issued almost every year since he took office, with one exception. Last year's memorandum begins: 'Eight years ago, on June 12, 2016, a shooter claiming alliance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant committed a horrific act of terrorism against the LGBTQ and Hispanic communities at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida.' This year's memorandum begins: 'Nine years ago, on June 12, 2016, a shooter claiming alliance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant committed a horrific act of terrorism at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida.' After the 2019 omission, the governor's office announced that, 'Governor Ron DeSantis has issued a corrected version of today's proclamation (see attached). Staff made an error in the previous version. The Governor has directed that the proclamation be re-issued, including a direct reference to our LGBTQ and Hispanic communities.' Anthony Man can be reached at aman@ and can be found @browardpolitics on Bluesky, Threads, Facebook and Mastodon.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
9 years after Pulse massacre, survivors revisit nightclub before building is demolished
The Orlando, Florida, community on Thursday evening is set to honor the 49 victims who were gunned down at the Pulse nightclub on June 12, 2016. It was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history at the time, though it was surpassed by the Las Vegas attack the following year. The ninth anniversary of the attack comes as groups of victims and survivors this week visit Pulse -- once a popular gay nightclub -- for the last time before the building is razed so that the city can build a permanent memorial in its place. All of the furniture and the dance floor inside the building have been moved and the walls were painted black. City of Orlando Outreach and Engagement Coordinator Donna Wyche told ABC affiliate in Orlando, WFTV, that the families of victims and survivors expressed that they wanted to visit the building before it is demolished. "They've said very clearly we want to see it for one last time before it's gone. We want to be in that sacred place one more time where our loved ones take their last breath," Wyche said. "It's part of the journey of grief." 'If you're alive, raise your hand' desperate rescuer said in Pulse nightclub Pulse nightclub shooting survivor Joshua Hernandez told WFTV on Wednesday that he needs to go inside the nightclub so he can heal. "It's going to feel horrible because I was in the restroom for three hours. So when I go to the restroom, it's going to be very, very sad for me," Hernandez, who was held hostage in the bathroom during the shooting, said. "I'm not ready yet. It's hard. It's hurt me. I'm gonna be -- come out stronger. I'm gonna be stronger to do this, it's time to close the chapter of my life," he added. Police recount how they stopped the Pulse Nightclub shooter Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, who has been in office since 2003, also did a walk through of the building on Wednesday and reflected on the 2016 massacre. "It took me back nine years and reflecting on being in the command center on Orange Avenue as all the things are transpiring then," Dyer told WFTV. "The realization of just how many people were impacted. I came out the second time and told everybody, it's not 20, it's 49 victims." Family and friends of the victims, as well as survivors and advocates for the LGBTQ+ community, are set to gather at First United Methodist Church in downtown Orlando at 5:30 p.m. local time for a remembrance ceremony. Rick Scott, who was Florida's governor in 2016, declared June 12 Pulse Remembrance Day in Florida in 2018. City remembers victims of Pulse nightclub shooting The City of Orlando purchased the Pulse nightclub site in October 2023 and committed to building a permanent memorial. Now, the city said plans are moving forward. In March, the city of Orlando issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit a design-build firm for the permanent PulseMemorial, following the advancement of a conceptual design in February. Proposals were submitted by May 29 -- the conceptual design includes a survivor's tribute wall, a reflection pool, a hearing garden and a private gathering space for reflection, according to the city. The memorial is slated to be complete by 2027, it noted. 9 years after Pulse massacre, survivors revisit nightclub before building is demolished originally appeared on
