'It could have been any one of us,' Rehoboth LGBTQ group holds vigil
Hours after a gunman killed 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, members of Delaware's LGBTQ community gathered in Rehoboth Beach to grieve, pray and share their love.
"In a time of tragedy, you want to be with your family," said Jo Picone of Lewes. "This is our family."
About a hundred people comforted one another during an evening vigil hosted by CAMP Rehoboth Community Center, a nonprofit, gay and lesbian community service organization on Baltimore Avenue. There they spent an hour hugging, sharing tears and joining in prayers led by clergy of various faiths.
Some struggled to understand how, in 2016, people in the LGBTQ community could be gunned down in a club many frequent to celebrate their sexuality. Several noted that June is Pride Month and Orlando had hosted a series of events this weekend meant to celebrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community.
"Our first thought was who is there that we know," said Darryl Ciarlante-Zuber of Rehoboth Beach.
"It could have been any one of us," said his husband Joe. "You never know."
In addition to the dead, another 53 were wounded in the attack at Pulse Orlando, a gay club just south of downtown. The attack is the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
The shooter, who was killed by police, has been identified as Omar Mateen of Port St. Lucie, Fla. Mateen reported pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State, or ISIL, while at the scene, according to officials.
"In 2016, to think that you can't go into a place and be yourself and be safe, it really calls into question what kind of society we have," said Steve Elkins, executive director of CAMP Rehoboth. "The worst part is that for so many years, what were known as traditional gay bars were the gathering place for those in the community. It was someplace they could be safe and be themselves."
LGBT groups throughout Delaware posted on social media throughout the day Sunday, expressing grief over the tragic attack and frustration for a society riddled with violence.
Delaware Pride, one of the First State's largest LGBT organizations, posted numerous times, sharing hotlines for families to find out information about loved ones, news articles and a photo emblazoned with the hashtag "#PrayForOrlando." Many of the group's members were in Philadelphia celebrating Philly Pride Sunday, which had been ongoing all weekend.
Alexander Ingram, a 21-year-old transgender man, said he was hesitant to make the trip to Philadelphia for Sunday's festival after the attack. He's identified as gay since a young age, he said, but only recently came out as transgender. Given the state of society regarding transgender bathrooms and now, the attack on a gay club, he said attending large scale events like Philadelphia's Pride events made him nervous.
But the Newark-area, a University of Delaware alum, decided to make the trip anyway –– and said Sunday he didn't regret it. Immediately, the crowds of people and enveloping love of the community pushed most of those fears to rest.
"Having these events is really scary," Ingram said, "but once I got here, my nerves dissipated a lot. You're in a huge group of people, everyone's in rainbow – it's really special."
Philly Pride held a brief moment of silence before the parade kick-off Sunday morning, Ingram said. The purpose of the day, he added, is to support and lift up each other.
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"It kind of feels like a transition moment," Ingram said, adding that attacks will not stop the LGBT community from coming together and thriving.
Orlando recently wrapped up its annual week-long Gay Days festival. Up to 150,000 in the LGBT community attended area theme parks, gay nightclubs and special events. It remains one of the largest gay pride events in the world.
Pride celebrations were also taking places in many other major cities, including Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Boston. Delaware will officially celebrate in Dover on Aug. 6.
While the shooter may have targeted the LGBTQ community, Kathy Bostedo of Lewes said the impact is far broader.
"It makes you think about things no matter where you are or who you are in this country," she said. "You don't have to be a member of the LGBT community to be afraid."
Joe Ciarlante-Zuber agreed.
"It's not just a gay issue," the Rehoboth Beach resident said. "Kids have been killed at school and people in a movie theater. Where are you safe?"
Elkins said he has little fear of a similar attack occurring in Delaware, where elected officials, community leaders and residents are largely supportive and welcoming. State House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf, state Sens. Ernie Lopez and Bryan Townsend, and Sussex County Clerk of the Peace John Brady –– Delaware's first openly gay elected official –– all attended Sunday's vigil.
"The Rehoboth Beach chief of police told me today that he has our back," Elkins said. "And the governor called me today on my personal cell phone. That shows me we have the support of our city and state."
Elkins also urged people to resist the temptation to condemn Islam or the Muslim community for Sunday's attack.
"We have great friends in the Muslim community, both gay and straight," he said. "We're all Americans and we're all in this together."
President Obama called the massacre "an attack of terror and an attack of hate."
U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, D-Delaware, a member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said in a statement Sunday morning that his "thoughts and prayers are with all those who have lost loved ones in this senseless act of violence in Orlando."
Investigators are treating the mass shooting as an act of terrorism.
As Sunday unfolded, more information began to come out surrounding the Orlando attack, including the fact that the shooter aligned himself with ISIS in communication with law enforcement. This prompted even stronger response from the Muslim community and from those concerned about the safety of America.
"In today's day and age, their message of hate does not need a visa or a plane ticket to reach our shores, but we can still win this war of words and ideas," Carper said in a statement. "We must stay vigilant in our work to reach out to communities across the country and work with local officials, faith leaders and family members to combat terrorist groups' efforts to radicalize and recruit our own citizens here on American soil."
Those same fears, Ingram stressed, can't be enough to keep people from coming together against hate. Fear can not overrun the will to make all people feel welcome and wanted in the United States.
"Even though it's scary, I feel like I'm sort of stuck in a moment of history," Ingram said, "and just knowing that at the end of the day, it's going to end up for the better."
Contact business reporter Scott Goss at (302) 324-2281, sgoss@delawareonline.com or on Twitter @ScottGossDel. Contact Brittany Horn at (302) 324-2771 or bhorn@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @brittanyhorn.
This story has been edited to reflect the updated number of victims from 50 to 49 killed in the Orlando shooting.