Our governor just recently signed a bill banning trans students from playing in school sports. So there's steps forward, and now we're seeing backlash. He rolled back a number of protections until last summer, the Supreme Court affirmed LGBTQ people are protected under the Civil Rights Act from discrimination in the workplace. But then after his election, former President Trump banned transgender Americans from serving in the military. After Pulse, we certainly saw more love and acceptance for LGBTQ people here in Orlando. SMITH: It really solidified, you know, my commitment to advocating for fair and equal treatment of LGBTQ people and really committing to the issue of gun violence prevention. Did this change the way you thought about your campaign or what you were running for? MARTIN: And Representative Smith, you were already running for your seat in the Statehouse when the shooting happened. And in five years, we will still be healing. And five years later, we're still healing. And I always preface pre-Pulse and post-Pulse because we are living in a different world. There was an outpouring of love, not just here locally but from around the world. WALLACE: Five years ago, the city of Orlando shined bright following the tragedy. Wallace, I just wanted to - could you just broaden it out a little bit? And so what about the last five years? Has there been kind of a shape to that period for you that you could tell us about? And five years later, I think it is important to reflect on what's changed and what work we still have to do on so many fronts. So there were so many communities that were really, really devastated by this. Half of those victims who were Hispanic were Puerto Rican. And so there were so many individuals from the Hispanic and Latinx community who were directly impacted, who were killed. It was Latin night at Pulse when this mass shooting happened. SMITH: Well, it certainly brings up a lot of emotions and a lot of painful memories about this terrible tragedy five years ago that killed 49 mostly LGBTQ people of color. So I just wanted to start by asking, if you don't mind - like, what does this day bring up for you? And the night of the shooting was Latin night, and many of the victims were Latinx and other people of color. MARTIN: So, Representative Smith, if I could start with you, I understand you'd been to Pulse many times. Wallace, thank you so much for joining us as well. It's a long-established community center with LGBT-specific services. He is executive director of LGBT+ Center Orlando. Representative Smith, thanks for being with us.ĬARLOS GUILLERMO SMITH: Thank you for having me, Michel. He was elected in 2016 after the shooting and was the first openly LGBTQ Latinx lawmaker in Florida. Representative Carlos Guillermo Smith is a member of the Florida House of Representatives from Orlando. We called two leaders in Orlando's LGBTQ community for their thoughts about this. But we wanted to start by asking if June 12, 2016, brought about change in any way. We have a remembrance this hour along with additional coverage on this network. It's also the deadliest attack on a group of LGBTQ people. It remains one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. But this week, the city is also memorializing a tragedy.įive years ago today, a gunman opened fire in Pulse nightclub, a gay club in Orlando, killing 49 people and wounding more than 50. Like many cities, Orlando is adorned with rainbow flags and banners and lighting this June in a celebration of Pride Month, a month that recognizes the contributions of LGBTQ Americans to the history and life of this country.
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