A Safe Haven Gone: Orlando's LGBTQ Community Mourns After Tragedy

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Early Sunday morning, the worst mass shooting in U.S. history was carried out in Orlando, Florida at Pulse, a gay night club. Some 49 people were killed, and more than 50 others were wounded.

The killer, 29-year-old Omar Mateen — an American citizen who claimed allegiance to the Islamic State — opened fire with a legally-purchased AR-15 inside of the popular Orlando nightclub, which was hosting a Latin night.

Mateen, who was eventually killed by a police SWAT team, had been previously investigated by the FBI for potential terrorist links, but was not believed to be a threat at the time.

In the aftermath, many say that this act of violence undermines spaces like Pulse — traditionally viewed as safe havens free from bigotry — and adds to a long history of brutality against a marginalized group of people. 

As the country, and particularly the LBTQ community, mourns this tragedy, The Takeaway turns to Daniel Leon-Davis, a current Brooklynite who grew up in Orlando and frequented Pulse. He reflects on the place where he "learned to love himself as a gay man." Joining him Earl Johnson, development manager at the Zebra Coalition, a LGBT youth health and social services network in Orlando.