10th Anniversary of Pulse Nightclub Attack
The Oklahomans for Equality History Project remembers with sadness the massacre of 49 people and wounding of 58 more at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, 10 years ago on June 12, 2016. The FBI called the act the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil since Sept. 11, 2001. The shootings happened at a previously “safe and inclusive LGBTQIA+ nightclub during Latin Night at Pulse.”
The massacre occurred during the early morning hours, and the shock reverberated across the nation. In Tulsa, then-Police Chief Chuck Jordan directed extra patrols to ensure safety at OkEq’s Dennis R. Neill Equality Center and at Tulsa’s gay bars.
That night, Oklahomans for Equality held a candlelight vigil at Club Majestic in the Tulsa Arts District, and buildings across downtown Tulsa were lit with rainbow colors. The Tulsa World reported that the Majestic event drew more than 1,000 people, including then-County Commissioner Karen Keith, City Councilor Karen Gilbert and then-City Councilor G.T. Bynum. A copy of the article is in the OkEq History Project archives, and the Oral History Project’s April 21, 2026, video interview of Club Majestic owner David Dees includes a discussion of that night.
In addition, a Mass of Remembrance was held at Tulsa’s Parish Church of St. Jerome. A 20-page program from the service also is in the archives. Other churches hosted prayer vigils for victims of violence, and, in solidarity, the Islamic Society of Tulsa invited the Oklahomans for Equality Board of Directors to a Ramadan feast at its mosque and then hosted the board’s monthly meeting there. That Monday morning, Tulsa Public Schools was flying a rainbow flag in front of its Education Service Center, with then-Superintendent Deborah Gist telling PFLAG icon Nancy McDonald that "TPS is committed to fostering safe and supportive climates for everybody," OkEq reported in its June 16, 2016, eNews.
One year after the tragedy, on June 12, 2017, Oklahomans for Equality and Moms Demand Action in Oklahoma held a community-wide candlelight vigil at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center in a show of solidarity with Orlando and our Latinx LGBTQ community, according to the June 7, 2017, OkEq eNews.
On June 11, 2019, Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum issued a proclamation declaring June 11 Reflections of Resilience Day in Tulsa in memory of the mass shooting at the Pulse three years earlier.
Our history will not be forgotten. The Oklahomans for Equality History Project encourages you to learn more about OkEq’s history by visiting our online archives at history.okeq.org.