I think the community healing space yesterday was helpful because it gave people the opportunity to participate in any way they felt comfortable. There were ground rules set about the space being safe--free of hate speech and judgment. People could actively participate in many ways, such as singing, speaking to the group, or just watching. It felt real to be able to see pictures of the victims and you could put flowers down wherever you wanted. It felt genuine that there were queer and trans people of color represented and that people of the Muslim and Latinx community were given the space to speak out. The number of people there may have been small to some, but it felt close and family-like.
-Connie Miller, Board Member at North Star LGBT Center
Sometimes it's okay to break down. It's okay to grieve. I grieve for my struggle to be a trans, genderfluid, bisexual. I grieve for Orlando. I grieve for the LGBTQ community. For all of us, I grieve.
On Sunday, June 19, 2016 from 7 pm-9 pm, North Star LGBT Center hosted a community healing event on Merschel Plaza that I was a part of. The event was called "Beloved Community: Healing Space", and the space was meant to build community between all people, whether they knew a person who was killed, someone in the LGBTQ community, or an ally. The general manager of North Star, as well as the Outreach Coordinator, provided opening statements. Following that, there were two speakers and an open space, prioritizing Queer and Trans People of Color (QTPOC). The vigil ended as I sung "Kumbaya" while attendees placed flowers on the 49 pictures surrounding Merschel Plaza. We all grieve differently and this event allowed all types of grief to be welcome, whether that be celebrating identity, sadness for this loss, or somewhere in between.
Many people from different backgrounds gathered to pay their respects to the community. There were at least 100 people in attendance. Check it out here! As an attendee, I felt the community that was at this event and it has helped me find closure. I was finally able to say goodbye to Juan, someone who helped me come out, and I was able to pay my respects to the other 48 victims. Though I found closure, in my statement during the open space at the event, I told attendees to be aware that this was an attack on the Latinx/POC LGBTQ community. In addition to this awareness, I called on attendees to practice forgiveness, find peace within themselves and the world, and to have grace with one another. This was a healing space, but we must also keep in mind those who did not make it and make peace with our enemies for their sake. We must fight love with hate.
