From Pulse to Q: Florida shooting survivors to help new cohort of victims cope
TAMPA, Fla. - Images of a massive police response, bouquets of flowers piled along the sidewalk, and Pride flags risen in solidarity outside a Colorado Springs nightclub make Keinon Carter wonder if anything has changed since he was shot inside Orlando's Pulse nightclub seven years ago.
"I am baffled right now. How could this be happening again?" he said during an interview Monday. "There is still fight out there for us to do. Obviously what happened to Pulse, we didn't get the message out good enough."
Colorado gay bar shooting suspect facing murder, hate crime charges
It was a hot Florida summer night on June 12, 2016. Carter and his friend, Antonio Brown, were having a few drinks when the shooting started.
His physical wounds are still healing after all this time. The wound of losing Antonio is forever.
Shooting victims, clockwise from upper-right: Kelly Loving, Daniel Aston, Ashley Paugh, Derrick Rump, Raymond Green Vance (family photos via CSPD)
READ: Victims identified in Colorado Springs gay bar shooting
Now, a new cohort of victims and survivors emerges in Colorado. Those who survived this weekend's shooting at Club Q are beginning their own similar journey.
"Smile about what that person used to be, or who they were," Carter advised those still reeling from their losses. "It helps turn the frown into a smile when you are crying."
The scene related to the shooting inside Club O on, Sunday November 20, 2022 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Staver/For the Washington Post)
MORE: Colorado Springs shooting brought 'incredible act of heroism' among patrons, mayor says
Like Keinon, Brandon Wolf wants to make it tougher for extremists to get their hands on guns. Wolf is a spokesperson for Equality Florida and says it's critical for public officials to speak out against hate speech, because words too often turn to violence.
"This gives us, as a national movement, as an LGBTQ civil rights movement, a moment to come to the table and ask ourselves, 'What's next? How are we going to push back against this? How are we going to continue to share our stories in a way that humanizes us?'" Wolf said.
RELATED: Colorado LGBTQ nightclub shooting: 5 dead, 25 hurt in attack at gay club, police say
He was also inside Pulse on June 12. He managed to escape through an emergency exit.
Two of his friends died.
"Escaping the bathroom with my life is one [memory] that's vivid, that I wish didn't hide behind my eyelids every time I fell asleep, calling my friends' parents to tell them that their children weren't coming home," he explained.
Wolf said members of Equality Florida will go to Colorado to help groups there honor those lost and to strengthen the community against hate.