Ten years ago, a crowd of happy people gathered to find joy on a June evening, to meet, to share and to dance.But at the end of the night, June 12, 2016, dozens would be dead, victims of what at the time was the deadliest mass shooting in US history.“I find it haunting how a night of fun turned around so quickly,” said Cesar Arevaldo, chair of the San Diego LGBTQ+ Latine Coalition.The San Diego LGBT Community Center held a service Friday in memory of the 49 people killed in the shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The Center hosted the service in its auditorium, where walls are lined with photos of LGBT community leaders. Many more portraits were arrayed throughout the hall for the evening service, which included a Latinx ofrenda, an altar that celebrates the dead. The 49 chairs facing the ofrenda were arranged with the images and names of those who died in the shooting, each with a single white flower and candle on the seat. The service was led by Arevaldo and Psyche Calderon Vargas, the Center’s director of Latin@x services.Esme Quintero-Cubillan, 28, is an LGBTQ+ community organizer who attended the service. Quintero-Cubillan said that an often overlooked but important aspect of the shooting is that it was the largest mass killing of Puerto Ricans in recent history. Twenty died at Pulse.At the center of the ofrenda lay the original Puerto Rican flag, also known as the “Grito de Lares” flag, representing Puerto Rico when it sought freedom from Spanish colonial rule.
On the center stage of the auditorium sits the ofrenda for Pulse Nightclub victims, featuring the Puerto Rican liberation flag and queer art. (Photo by Eileen Mamaghani/Times of San Diego)The bilingual service opened with a blessing from Baltazar Hernandez, who wore a feathered headdress and wooden beads, akin to traditional Aztec wear. Hernandez held a wooden staff as he delivered a blessing for the dead. Calderon Vargas and Arevaldo recited the names of the 49 victims, prompting the audience to respond “present” or “presénte” after each name.As of 2026, 10 years have been stolen from those killed at the nightclub that night, Arevaldo said, and “it’s our job to never forget what happened.”The group observed a moment of silence before transitioning to a performance by TIjuana Queer Coralle, a choral performance group led by vocal coach Israel Rodriguez. The traditional songs began on a somber note, reminiscing on youth, before moving into upbeat Spanish renditions of pop songs such as “Dancing Queen.” The audience, inspired, perked up and clapped to the beat.Calderon Vargas said it’s the duty of the living to remember the Pulse victims as they began their nights a decade ago. In celebration.“I think that when people come together from so many backgrounds,” Calderon Vargas said, “this is actually the way we build community.”
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