MONTREAL – The massacre inside Orlando’s Pulse nightclub as people around the world mourning. The horror is reverberating north of the border as well.
“The level of violence that was used is surprising, is shocking, it’s disgusting, it’s inexcusable,” Saint Lazare resident, Melissa Paradis, said. She has close ties with the LGBTQ community.
“I have so many friends and so many colleagues that are LGBT,” she said. “So, to me, they are my second family and to know that my family is hurting hurts me.”
READ MORE: ‘Blood was everywhere’: Orlando shooting survivors recall scenes of terror
Paradis felt the LGBTQ people in her community could benefit from their own time set aside to grieve together, so she has taken it upon herself to organize a vigil.
“There are some that have happened in Montreal already, in Ottawa, in Kingston, and all over the world but there was nothing really local to here,” she said. “And we have a lot of LGBT members in our own community, so I wanted to do something for them, so they could come and pay their respects, so that they know that their own community has their own support.”
“I was just driving through Pincourt last night and I saw the rainbow flag on their monitors and it brought me to tears a little bit,” Vaudreuil resident, Kelly Donnelly, said.
“I thought it would be amazing to have something like that here.”
For Hudson resident Lucie Desfossés, Sunday morning’s attack hit close to home.
“My daughter is a lesbian so that really, really was a shock to us and especially for her,” Desfossés said. “I’m really concerned about her safety.”
The vigil will be held this Friday at Jack Layton Park in Hudson.
Community members are invited to come out at 8 p.m. with their candles to mourn and remember the victims of Sunday’s tragedy.
READ MORE: FBI looking at whether Omar Mateen led secret life as a gay man
At the LGBTQ Youth Centre at the United Church in Beaconsfield, people are preparing for their own vigil Friday.
“We wanted to acknowledge the event that happened in Orlando, the loss of lives and to help our own community heal and just pay tribute to witness what had happened,” Ian Nelson, the centre’s director, said.
He, like Paradis, believes these gestures go a long way in fighting homophobia.
“Homophobia, slurs, finger pointing, bullying… It’s a daily thing,” Paradis said. “Until you know the fear of walking down the street holding the hand of the person you love, or just for being who you are, I mean, it’s very real.”
Both vigils will take place at 8 p.m. on Friday, June 17. The Beaconsfield vigil will be held at the Beaconsfield United Church.
Comments