Two survivors of the Pulse nightclub mass shooting attack shared their personal experiences from that night at a community meeting held Oct. 14 at the Highland Park office of The Wall Las Memorias Project (TWLMP). Forty-nine people were killed on June 12 when a gunman open fired with an assault rifle in a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, in what is being called the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
Juan Ángel Torres and Ángel Colón, who were in the Pulse nightclub on that night, spoke about what Latino LGBTQ leaders in Orlando were able to learn from that attack.
Richard Zaldívar, the founder and the executive director of the TWLMP who facilitated the event, warned that the Orlando attack has already pushed members of the LGBTQ community back into the closet. He said this poses new health concern over drug and alcohol abuse and unsafe sex practices.
The evening was hosted by the TWLMP and the Building Healthy Communities – Boyle Heights Collaborative, of which Boyle Heights Beat is a member.
Photo above: Pulse survivors and activists Ángel Colón (left) and Juan Ángel Torres (center) with The Wall Las Memorias Project executive director Richard Zaldívar. Photos by Monica Almeida.
