Gays Against Guns gathered on the west side of Manhattan on June 12 to mark six years since the Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando, Florida.
The annual event to commemorate the Pulse victims came at a time when more than 300 people are shot and 111 people are killed every day due to gun violence in the United States, according to the non-profit Brady: United Against Gun Violence.
Gays Against Guns, which was formed in 2016 in the aftermath of Pulse, brought out “Human Beings” — individuals who dress in white and hold placards of people who have lost their lives to gun violence — to represent those who died at Pulse in 2016. And yet, even that did not seem to be enough during a year of overwhelming gun violence across the nation. In addition to the 49 souls from Pulse, Gays Against Guns honored nearly 50 more lost souls from mass shootings around the country.
Following a silent vigil at the pier and a short speech from Jay W. Walker, Human Beings processed up, on, and through Little Island.
We were moved and honored to have so many of our intersecting communities join us, including Rise and Resist, Radical Faeries, Moms Demand Action, the New York Civil Liberties Union, ACT UP, and the Reclaim Pride Coalition. Folks assisted in the event by acting as Human Beings and serving as marshals, dressers, sign carriers, and more.
Below are photos of a beautiful, emotional, loving, and powerful day of coming together to fight the gun lobby and remember the lives lost to gun violence.
