The Orlando nightclub where the biggest mass shooting in U.S. history is "more than just another gay club," its owner says.
Fifty people were killed and 53 more injured early Sunday at Pulse, which owner Barbara Poma said the club was named in tribute to her brother, John.
On the club's website, Poma wrote that John initially introduced her to the gay bar and club scene of Fort Lauderdale when she was a teenager. He died in 1991 of AIDS, but not before profoundly affecting the lives of her and her family.
“Being raised in a strict Italian family, being gay was frowned upon,” Poma wrote on the club’s site. “However, when John came out to his family and friends, the family dynamic transitioned from a culture of strict tradition to one of acceptance and love.”
Poma opened Pulse, on South Orange Avenue about 2 miles south of downtown Orlando, in 2004 with a friend, Ron Legler, and wrote that she wanted to create an atmosphere that “would make John proud.” She named the club Pulse for John’s heartbeat, adding she wanted to remember it “as a club that is John’s inspiration, where he is kept alive in the eyes of his friends and family.”
View a map of where the Pulse nightclub is in Orlando
According to USA Today, a drag queen named Kenya Michaels was scheduled to perform at Pulse on Saturday, along with fellow performer Jasmine International.
Michaels is safe, according to another drag queen, Yara Sofia, USA Today said.
About the Author
