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On June 12, 2016, a man opened fire at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, killing 49 queer people and injuring at least 58 others. An entire decade later, protections for LGBTQIA people in Florida and across the country continue to be stripped away under a government that insists on inflicting harm. Queer nightlife spaces, like Pulse, are designed to be deeper than DJ sets and drink specials; they are where we find our fire.

Last year, the Florida Department of Transportation painted over rainbow sidewalks outside Pulse, which served as a memorial to the great loss of life. This year, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law allowing him to remove any elected official who supports a Pride event and replace that person with a pick of his own. DeSantis’s hate campaign has served as a model for other states seeking to erase queer stories and diminish queer suffering. In 2022, DeSantis signed the “Parental Rights in Education” bill in Florida, more commonly referred to as “Don’t Say Gay.” The legislation censored teachers from using any mention of sexual orientation or gender identity in their curriculum, or even just displaying a Pride flag. Almost immediately after its passage, over a dozen states proposed similar censorship bills. Several of those states have pushed these hate-fueled campaigns across the finish line, including Alabama, North Carolina, and Indiana.

The Pulse nightclub shooting was the deadliest incident of violence against the LGBTQIA community in U.S. history, and the second-deadliest shooting by a single gunman ever. This tragedy should have ignited systemic change to curb the last decade of gun violence and anti-LGBTQIA hate crimes. Instead, Florida’s bright red government has done everything it can to censor our suffering and deter our ability to take up space. Officials know the power of organizing, and they are scared of it.

Florida........

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