Several events occurred at the start of June including onePULSE’s CommUnity Rainbow Run (pictured) held on June 4. (Photo by Jeremy Williams)
ORLANDO | Several Central Florida LGBTQ organizations will be hosting events throughout the June 12 weekend to remember those lost six years ago during the Pulse tragedy.
The Orange County Regional History Center will display the Pulse memorial crosses on June 10 and 11 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and on June 12 from 12-5 p.m. Admission into the history center will be free during this time.
onePULSE Foundation, in collaboration with Cultural Vistas, will present the International Culture of Remembrance Symposium at the UCF Downtown Campus June 10-11, from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. each day. The symposium brings together leading international scholars and experts in memorial culture to provide a multidisciplinary platform to enrich and showcase progress, innovations, trends and achievements in memorial culture and turn thought into action. The symposium will be held both in-person and virtually.
The second annual “United We Dance” celebration will happen June 10, from 6 p.m. to midnight, in the Thornton Park District. It’s a night of music and dance to honor the resilience of the community, the City Beautiful, Pulse families, survivors, first responders and the 49. General admission is $20.
The Dru Project will host a drag brunch June 11, starting at noon, at the 808 in Thornton Park to announce this year’s scholarship award recipients and to raise funds to support next year’s awards and the Gay Straight Alliance club grant program. For more details, visit The Dru Project’s Facebook.
Later that evening, the Zebra Coalition will host its Pride Prom at the Orlando Museum of Art from 6-10 p.m. The event, open for ages 14-20 only, will feature a DJ, dancing, lip synch competition, light bites, beverages and a live performance by Axel Andrews. More information at ZebraYouth.org.
On June 12, the day will begin at the First United Methodist Church of Orlando with the Orlando Gay Chorus performing at the church’s 11 a.m. worship service, followed by the annual 49 Bells Ceremony at 11:45 a.m. Following the ceremony, the Sanctuary will remain open for quiet reflection until 1 p.m.
OneBlood will hold blood drives at two locations, one at Orlando City Hall and one at the Pulse Interim Memorial, starting at noon. More information on the blood drive can be found at OneBlood.org.
Contigo Fund, Bros in Convo, Divas in Dialogue, Basically Wonderful, Del Ambiente, One Orlando Alliance and Lake County Pride are just some of the organizations taking part in “For Us, By Us: A Tribute to Those Surviving & Fighting for Change,” a Pulse remembrance event at the Lake Eola Amphitheater, on June 12 from 1-3:30 p.m. The event will highlight the voices of survivors and families directly impacted working to make a change in their community. This is a free event and is open to the public. More information is available at Facebook.com/ContigoFund.
The Pulse Remembrance Ceremony held at the Pulse Interim Memorial by onePULSE from 7-8 p.m. is an invite only event; however, the ceremony will be livestreamed on onePULSE’s Facebook page. For more information, visit onePULSEFoundation.org.
