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Pulse Orlando (gay nightclub)

Pulse Orlando (gay nightclub)

A gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The club was co-founded by Barbara Poma and Ron Leger in 2004. Barbara Poma stated that the club was "started the club to promote awareness about the area's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community [and that her] brother died from AIDS."

On June 12, 2016, a mass shooting occurred there. It was t he deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil since the events of September 11, 2001. Forty-nine people were killed and 58 were injured.

Description

Pulse hosted themed performances each night and had a monthly program featuring educational events geared towards the LGBT community. According to Orlando Weekly , Pulse featured "three glitzy, throbbing rooms of club boys, twinks and twinks at heart. Every night has something different in store, but Pulse is known to have some pretty impressive drag shows, and the bar's dancers are usually gorgeous." Because of the three areas, Lonely Planet Discover Florida deemed it "three nightclubs", while their Florida volume focused on it being "ultramodern".

Top 10 Orlando called it a "firm favorite for the Orlando gay crowd", Rough Guide to Florida deemed it "justifiably popular", citing its "great lighting and sound plus cabaret performers, drag acts, and erotic dancers." Pulse was the only gay club mentioned in The Rough Guide to the USA for Orlando. According to listings, the entire premises, including the washrooms, are accessible. Using "periodic consumer surveys", Zagat rated Pulse 25/30 for atmosphere, 25/30 decor, and 22/30 service.

History

In 1985–prior to Pulse's founding–the property located at 1912 South Orange Avenue was home to a pizza restaurant named Lorenzo's.

By 1999, it was called Dante's, a bar with live music.

Dante's closed in January 2003.

Founded by Barbara Poma and Ron Legler, Pulse opened on July 2, 2004 Poma's brother, John, died in 1991 from AIDS, and the club is "named for John's pulse to live on", according to a marketing staff member in February 2016. The venue had a focus on local talent. Poma ensured that her brother's memory was prominent on the website, that the facility was more than "just another gay club". Legler was President of the Florida Theatrical Association at the time of the foundation, and founded two nightclubs in Lake Eola Park in 2010, leaving for Baltimore in 2011. The Washington Post described its first 12 years as "a community hub for HIV prevention, breast-cancer awareness and immigrant rights", and reported it had partnered with educational and advocacy groups such as Come Out with Pride, Equality Florida, and the Zebra Coalition.

June 2016 shooting

On June 12, 2016, 29-year-old Omar Mateen killed 49 people and wounded 58 others in a mass shooting. The attack was the deadliest single gunman mass shooting in United States history until the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, the deadliest incident of violence against LGBT people in U.S. history, and the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil since the September 11 attacks of 2001.

In November 2016, the city of Orlando agreed to buy the nightclub for $2.25 million.

Mayor Buddy Dyer expressed plans to convert the nightclub into a memorial to honor the memory of the victims.

Barbara Poma, the owner, refused to sell the nightclub to the city in December 2016.

Instead she announced in May 2017 the creation of the onePULSE Foundation to independently fund a memorial site and museum slated to open in 2020.

See also

  • List of terrorist incidents, January–June 2016

  • Our Happy Hours: LGBT Voices from the Gay Bars

References

[1]
Citation Linkyelp.comYelp page
Jun 12, 2016, 7:55 AM
[2]
Citation Linktwitter.comTheir Twitter
Jun 12, 2016, 7:55 AM
[3]
Citation Linkpulseorlandoclub.comLink on pulseorlandoclub.com
Jun 12, 2016, 7:55 AM
[4]
Citation Linkeveripedia-storage.s3.amazonaws.comScene inside the club
Jun 12, 2016, 7:57 AM
[5]
Citation Linkeveripedia-storage.s3.amazonaws.comSome of their dancers
Jun 12, 2016, 7:58 AM
[6]
Citation Linkeveripedia-storage.s3.amazonaws.comPicture of the Adonis Room
Jun 12, 2016, 7:58 AM
[7]
Citation Linkfoursquare.comFoursquarepage for the bar
Jun 12, 2016, 8:43 AM
[8]
Citation Linkvine.coPage on Vine
Jun 12, 2016, 8:46 AM
[9]
Citation Linkinstagram.comPulse Orlando's Instagramaccount
Jun 12, 2016, 8:02 AM
[10]
Citation Linkl.instagram.comwww.facebook.com/pulseorlando
Jun 12, 2016, 8:02 AM
[11]
Citation Linkeveripedia-storage.s3.amazonaws.comPromotional material
Jun 12, 2016, 8:46 AM
[12]
Citation Linkfacebook.comprimary Facebookaccount.
Jun 12, 2016, 7:52 AM
[13]
Citation Linkeveripedia-storage.s3.amazonaws.comAnother promotional picture
Jun 12, 2016, 8:47 AM
[14]
Citation Linkyoutube.comVideo of the inside of the nightclub
Jun 12, 2016, 8:47 AM
[15]
Citation Linkyoutube.comMore videos inside of the nightclub
Jun 12, 2016, 8:48 AM
[16]
Citation Linkeveripedia-storage.s3.amazonaws.comPolice at the scene
Jun 12, 2016, 7:53 AM
[17]
Citation Linkeveripedia-storage.s3.amazonaws.comEmergency personnel
Jun 12, 2016, 7:54 AM
[18]
Citation Linken.wikipedia.orgThe original version of this page is from Wikipedia, you can edit the page right here on Everipedia.Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Additional terms may apply.See everipedia.org/everipedia-termsfor further details.Images/media credited individually (click the icon for details).
Jul 21, 2016, 9:53 PM
[19]
Citation Linkbooks.google.comLonely Planet Florida
Jul 21, 2016, 9:53 PM
[20]
Citation Linkbooks.google.comTop 10 Orlando
Jul 21, 2016, 9:53 PM