Biden declares National Pulse Memorial at bill signing; OnePulse Foundation to fundraise, develop the site
Fri. June 25, 2021 4:37 PM by Gerald Farinas
orlando strong memorial, 2016
photo credit // ross forman
President Joe Biden declared Pulse nightclub—the scene of a massacre of largely LGBTQ persons—a federal site. It will now be called the National Pulse Memorial, 1912 S. Orange Ave., Orlando, Fla.
A permanent development is being planned for the site to honor the victims of the June 12, 2016 murder of 49 persons and wounding of 53 others by 29-year old Omar Mateen.
OnePulse Foundation is currently accepting donations for the memorial and to further help surviving victims.
Many of the victims were Latinx members of the LGBTQ community.
Some had direct ties to the Chicago-area.
It was the deadliest terrorist attack in the nation since September 11, 2001—until another event later that year in Las Vegas, Nev. It is deadliest event affecting LGBTQ Americans specifically.
Remarking on such an act of hate, Biden said that the nation would hold fast to “an absolute determination that we're going to deal with this every single solitary day, and make sure that we're not in a position to see this happen again.”
OnePulse Foundation said that they are pleased the federal government has acknowledged this as a crime against LGBTQ Americans and that it will be met with such importance.
“We will always outlove hate,” they said in a statement.
The federal government claimed Mateen was motivated by Islamic fundamentalist beliefs—and allegiance to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS.
In the aftermath, social media was full of other theories about Mateen's motivations—some involving his own sense of identity. Though none have found evidentiary support.
Mateen was killed in a police shootout.
Sponsored by Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.) on January 4, 2021, House Resolution 49 was passed by the House on May 12. The Senate passed it unanimously on June 9 and presented to the White House on June 16.
A permanent development is being planned for the site to honor the victims of the June 12, 2016 murder of 49 persons and wounding of 53 others by 29-year old Omar Mateen.
OnePulse Foundation is currently accepting donations for the memorial and to further help surviving victims.
Many of the victims were Latinx members of the LGBTQ community.
Some had direct ties to the Chicago-area.
It was the deadliest terrorist attack in the nation since September 11, 2001—until another event later that year in Las Vegas, Nev. It is deadliest event affecting LGBTQ Americans specifically.
Remarking on such an act of hate, Biden said that the nation would hold fast to “an absolute determination that we're going to deal with this every single solitary day, and make sure that we're not in a position to see this happen again.”
OnePulse Foundation said that they are pleased the federal government has acknowledged this as a crime against LGBTQ Americans and that it will be met with such importance.
“We will always outlove hate,” they said in a statement.
The federal government claimed Mateen was motivated by Islamic fundamentalist beliefs—and allegiance to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS.
In the aftermath, social media was full of other theories about Mateen's motivations—some involving his own sense of identity. Though none have found evidentiary support.
Mateen was killed in a police shootout.
Sponsored by Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.) on January 4, 2021, House Resolution 49 was passed by the House on May 12. The Senate passed it unanimously on June 9 and presented to the White House on June 16.