Early last evening, Gays Against Guns, joined by activists from the New York City Anti-Violence Project and Voices4, held a silent vigil outside the Stonewall Inn and across the street at Christopher Park, the site of the federal Stonewall National Monument, to mark the third anniversary of the gun massacre at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub that killed 49 and injured another 53 people.
In the early morning hours of June 12, 2016, Omar Mateen entered the club, which was hosting its regular Latinx night, and opened fire. When police were finally able to move in on the crime scene, the shooter killed himself.
New York’s queer community mobilized immediately in reaction to the shootings, hosting a pair of impromptu major vigils later that same day, and the following evening a more formal vigil was held that drew leading elected officials.
Gays Against Guns emerged in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, and within two weeks had a contingent in the LGBTQ Pride March, which included their haunting Human Beings contingent that march anonymously draped in white veils and holding placards honoring gun violence victims.
Since 2016, GAG has staged innumerable direct action demonstrations targeting the National Rife Association, gun manufacturers, investors in those businesses, and politicians — here and in Washington — who support the NRA and its gun-madness agenda.
