ORLANDO | onePULSE Foundation is preparing for a week of community activities leading up to June 12 as the five-year mark of the Pulse tragedy approaches.
Remembrance Week will begin June 5 with the fifth annual 4.9K CommUNITY Rainbow Run at Wadeview Park in Orlando. After going virtual last year due to the pandemic, the run returns as an in-person event this year and will include a kids’ fun run around Wadeview Park and a virtual option for those who cannot attend in person. You can get registered for the run at CommUNITYRainbowRun.com.
On June 6 at 6 p.m., HÄOS on Church will host Straight Men Real Makeup, a onePULSE fundraiser presented by Makeup and Creative Arts and Morphstore.com that take eight straight men out of their comfort zone and have them compete in full drag. Tickets for this event are $10 for General Admission with Priority Seating available for $25 and Best Seats in the House for $49. Tickets can be purchased at Eventbrite.com.
The following evening, on June 7 at 7 p.m., One Orlando Alliance invites you to “An Evening of Reflection and Promise” at the Dr. Phillips Center’s Frontyard Festival. This interfaith service will look at the effects religious-based discrimination has had on the LGBTQ community and feature a panel of LGBTQ people of diverse faith and thought backgrounds.
The remembrance continues at the Frontyard Festival June 8 at 7:30 p.m. with the Orlando Gay Chorus’ “My Portrait of Pulse: An Orlando United Story,” a concert told through the lens of photographer J.D. Casto, who captured thousands of images in the weeks and months after Pulse. Tickets to each event are free and boxes are first come, first serve. Go to DrPhillipsCenter.org to reserve your spot for each night.
Two virtual conversations will take place June 9: Central Florida Foundation’s “Virtual Community Conversation: Pulse Remembrance” at 1 p.m. at CFFound.org and “Overcoming Barriers Between the Faith Community and LGBTQ Community” at 7 p.m. Those who are comfortable attending in person, may do so for the Overcoming Barriers conversation at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church’s Founder’s Hall. Register for this event at St.Lukes.org.
The Center Orlando will host “Inhala Exhala” June 10 at 6 p.m. This in-person new moon yoga event will help members of the community acknowledge their emotions through restorative yoga. The event will also be streamed on Instagram Live at @QLatinx. For more information, go to TheCenterOrlando.org.
On June 10, starting at 7 p.m., HÄOS on Church, Hamburger Mary’s and Pepe’s Cantina all host United We Dance, a night of music and dance to honor “the resilience of our community, the City Beautiful, Survivors, First Responders and our 49.” The evening will feature live entertainment, music by DJ Scott Robert and guest speakers including Pulse owner Barbara Poma and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. General admission is $10 and VIP tickets are $50 with proceeds going to onePULSE Foundation and Unspoken Treasure Society. For tickets, go to OrlandoWeeklyTickets.com.
Prior to Remembrance Week, on May 29, The Orange County Regional History Center will open its exhibition “Community: Five Years After the Pulse Tragedy.” The exhibit will run through Aug. 15 and will free to the public June 5-13. For more information, go to TheHistoryCenter.org.
On June 2, Peer Support Space and the Orlando United Assistance Fund will hold a virtual volunteer event called Creating Hope: Honoring the Lost, Supporting Those Struggles, which will allow those attending to read through stories of LGBTQ individuals who are struggling and let you write personal messages of hope to them. To register, go to CreatingHopeEvent.Eventbrite.com.
On June 12, a day of events are planned, including the traditional 49 Bells at First UMC Church at noon; a Pulse Remembrance by DeLand Pride at The Abbey in Orlando starting at 2 p.m., where the names of the 49 angels will be read out loud; and Remembrance Day Memorial Blood Drive with OneBlood throughout the afternoon with the location to be announced closer to the event.
The Five-Year Pulse Remembrance Ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. at the Pulse Interim Memorial and is by invitation only. A live stream of the ceremony for the general public can be viewed at the Dr. Phillips Center’s Frontyard Festival as well as on onePULSE’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
For more information, go to onePULSEFoundation.org.
