Candles lit up the Unity Garden on the University of Oklahoma campus on Monday night as the OU Gender + Equality Center hosted a vigil for the victims of the Orlando nightclub massacre.
According to reports, on Sunday, June 12 around 2 a.m., a gunman entered Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, and opened fire. The gunman killed 49 and injured 53 in the attack.
The rampage is known to be the worst mass shooting in American history. Its emotional toll was on display Monday night during the vigil on the South Oval at OU.
"Our privilege is our voice and we have an obligation to use it," Kasey Catlett, OU alumnus and assistant director for LGBTQ and health programs at the OU Gender + Equality Center, said to over 100 mourners.
Catlett was one of the organizers for the event. He said it was important to him to “recognize those lives who were lost in Orlando but then also to give a space for people who are in pain.”
He went on to say, “It affects not only those in Orlando and the families and friends of those whose lives were lost but all of us as well, especially those in the LGBTQ community.”
Over a hundred people gathered together for the vigil, and when asked about the turnout, Catlett said he “would’ve been happy with five people” and that the turnout was beyond his expectations.
Some silently took in their surroundings while others cried, but all were there to support the LGBTQ community and the lives lost.
Stefanie Heinrich, a grad student at OU, spoke about her initial reaction.
"You almost went numb, you know? I think we're just so used to it now that you go, 'Oh, another one,'" she said. "That's what I thought when I saw it was 20 people. Then, when it got to 50, I knew it wasn't just another mass shooting."
Lena Tenney, an OU alumna, expressed her fear after the incident.
"I wish I could say my first reaction was disbelief, but it was just sadness for my community," Tenney said. "My next thought was it could have been any of my friends. It could have been me.
“We're not safe anywhere."
Troy Stevenson, OU alumnus and executive director of Freedom Oklahoma, attended the vigil.
“The solidarity that’s come from it, the people coming together around the country and around the world … there is a bigger community than people realize,” Stevenson said, “and there is a lot more hope than people realize. This was one act of terror, one act of violence, but from it we should find greater respect for society.”
OU junior Trae Havens expressed a similar sentiment as Tenney.
"You're in disbelief at first," Havens said. "I think it kind of hits you all of a sudden. It's horrifying.”
Havens said that you want to believe that the country has grown out of its hate and bias, but tragedies like these remind you that it has not.
“If you're not actively doing something, if you're not helping people, if you're not talking to your legislators, if you're not talking about gun control, if you're not talking about helping people in the LGBTQ community, then it’s a harsh reality, but you're sort of part of the problem," Havens added. "Because stuff like this wouldn't be happening if we were doing the right things to stop it."
