PHOTOS: LGBTQ+ advocates mark 10 years since Pulse in St. Petersburg

A message written in chalk June 12 at St. Petersburg’s former Progressive Pride street mural. (Photo by Ryan Williams-Jent)

ST. PETERSBURG | LGBTQ+ advocates gathered at St. Petersburg’s former Progressive Pride street mural June 12 to mark 10 years since Pulse.

The ceremony was organized by St Pete Pride, Justice Over Everything, the Contigo Fund and the Democratic Hispanic Caucus of Florida in Pinellas County. The Tampa Bay region was invited to “gather in reflection, remembrance and solidarity.”

St Pete Pride President and Justice Over Everything Co-Founder Byron Green-Calisch welcomed attendees before introducing St. Petersburg LGBTQ+ Liaison Nathan Bruemmer. He began by noting St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch formally recognized the tragedy’s 10-year mark with a proclamation, which was accepted by City of Orlando Community Engagement Manager Luis Martinez June 11 on behalf of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.

“Remembering the lives lost at Pulse provides an opportunity to reflect on the importance of community, public safety, and standing against violence and hatred in all forms,” the proclamation reads. June 12 was officially declared Pulse Remembrance Day in the city, where Welch encouraged “residents to remember the victims, honor survivors and first
responders, and reflect upon the values of compassion, unity and community.”

Democratic Hispanic Caucus of Pinellas County Vice President Silvio Delgado spoke next.

“Something that I have been holding on to leading up to today, and thinking about this year — this pivotal moment that we are in, as a city, as a state, as a country — is the idea of intersectionality, and how important it is in moments like this to walk in lockstep, arm in arm,” he said. Both “through times of struggle and times of joy, because joy can also be an act of resistance, which is so hard to remember in moments like these, where grief fills our hearts, and we remind ourselves how important it is to make space for that grief.”

Nathan Martinez, who initially contacted Green-Calisch about holding a ceremony, also addressed the crowd. He noted he lost friends at Pulse and called it “poetic” that the ceremony was held at the former LGBTQ+ street mural. While FDOT painted it black earlier this year, portions of the rainbow have begun to reemerge.

“Even though we are in some very dark times … we can look and see how there’s been attempts to try and erase who we are as people, trying to erase our community, I think if you look at this intersection, you can see — despite some people’s attempts to force us in the shadows — we still find ways to come through.”

Danny Glennon, who lived in Orlando for two decades, called on the community to remember the lives lost. He also reflected on Florida’s anti-LGBTQ+ political attacks, noting “I always tell people that good bosses come and go; bad bosses always go.”

Bryan Casañas Scarsella, legislative aide to St. Petersburg City Councilmember Gina Driscoll, attended on her behalf. He reflected on inclusive actions from the city, including the mayor’s Pride Month and Pulse proclamations.

“If at anytime you feel darkness overcome you,” he noted, “hopefully the city is bringing some light to your life and we can share that light with others.”

Additional speakers included J.R. St. Jean, another former Orlando resident who sang with the Orlando Gay Chorus in the aftermath of the tragedy, and Lou Powell. They also lived in Orlando and worked for Equality Florida at the time of the shooting.

“I remember after it happened talking to a friend [who] noticed how on the Latin channels they wouldn’t mention it was an LGBT club, and in the LGBT coverage, a lot of times they neglected to share that the majority of the victims were from the Latin community,” Powell reflected. “Ten years later I find myself thinking often about what we owe the 49 people who lost their lives and the world that we owe them, and the world that we hoped that we would be in 10 years later.

“This isn’t the world that they deserve and this isn’t the world that we were trying to build for them,” they continued. “… I hope that we can all continue to fight like hell to build the future that those 49 deserve.”

Nela Lamb echoed this. They shared that “it’s terrifying to think that it was only 10 years ago … but that’s why it’s important that we keep talking, because the more that we talk, the more that people understand that we’re all human.”

Green-Calisch closed the ceremony by reflecting on grief, which “doesn’t go away, it marinates.”

“It shows up in different times at different places,” he advised. “When you’re checking to see how close you are to the exits, when you’re drunk off your mind and want to just forget the moment … but I want to invite you all to hold that grief, to let it drive you, let it inspire you.

“We are here, we get the chance to use our voice, we get the chance to celebrate, to lift their names up and continue to fight for their world that they should live in,” Green-Calisch concluded. “We are going nowhere.”

Attendees wrote messages of remembrance and more in chalk after that. They included “Love will always win” and “Somos Orlando,” translated to “We are Orlando” in English.

Watermark Out News attended the ceremony. View our photos below.

Photos by Ryan Williams-Jent.