Maxwell Frost: “9 years ago today, 49 lives were stolen and ripped away from us at Pulse nightclub in my district, in my home of…”

“9 years ago today, 49 lives were stolen and ripped away from us at Pulse nightclub in my district, in my home of Orlando, Florida, a safe haven for Orlando's LGBTQ+ community that was turned into the site of unimaginable horror and a mass grave. Pulse was more than just a club. It was love. It was joy. It was freedom and a space for a community facing constant adversity, from our State, and people like in our inner administration. Just today, Governor Ron DeSantis deleted from the annual anniversary statement the words and acronyms 'LGBTQ+' and 'Hispanic,' when most of the people who were killed that day were from the LGBTQ+ community and Hispanic. This was armed bigotry, and it was armed hate. I am oftentimes asked why I don't join moments of silence that include Republicans for gun violence, and the reason why is because they refuse to do anything about it. I am not going to be a prop in some social media video that is posted later to placate constituents about ending gun violence. I am going to continue to honor them with action, not just with thoughts and prayers.”