Seventh annual Pulse nightclub shooting commemoration to be held indoors amid security concerns

ORLANDO, Fla. - Monday marks seven years since the deadly shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. Activist Brandon Wolf survived the attack and said this year seemed different. 

"It’s a challenging time to be an LGBTQ person in the State of Florida. Especially someone who was directly impacted at Pulse, that weighs double at a time when you're going through that annual grieving process."

The ACLU says that this year, state legislatures across the country have filed nearly five hundred bills targeting the LGBTQ+ community, particularly trans individuals. In Florida, the legislature proposed ten anti-LGBTQ bills in the 2023 session, four of which passed. 

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"It's really hard to be in a state that makes you feel like LGBTQ people are something to be ashamed of, or not welcome here," Wolf said.

This year, the annual commemoration of the 49 lives lost at pulse will be held indoors at the Doctor Phillips' Center's Steinmetz Hall. Security expert Dave Benson said it was a smart move. "This year in particular, based on recent events, the rise in anti-LGBTQ+ behavior, the court rulings, all these sorts of things, anxiety's high."

Benson said the Doctor Phillips Center was built to be a safe environment, from a security standpoint. "Who's going to arrive, any VIPs showing up, you'd probably have the ability to do that through a side or back entrance, evacuate them quickly, if need be," he said, "again, it's a much more controlled environment going into the Doctor Phillips Center. Now, how controlled it is, is going to be absolutely up to them."

The event is free and open to the public. It runs from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., Monday evening. 

Seating is limited, on a first-come-first-served basis. Wolf said the move indoors should put people's minds at ease. "I think they've always done a great job making people feel as safe as possible. But undoubtedly when you move something inside a private building, it makes it feel more secure, for folks."