Kamloops Pride mourns for victims of Orlando shooting

Jun 12, 2016 | 1:28 PM

KAMLOOPS — The horrific shooting and hostage taking at a popular gay nightclub in Orlando, FL early this morning, June 12, has shocked and devastated many in the U.S. and around the world. 

Fifty people were killed, including the shooter, and more than 50 people were injured. Many, including U.S. President, Barack Obama, are calling the shooting an “act of hate” against the LGBTQ community. 

Laura Hsu, president of Kamloops Pride, says she is greatly saddened that this has happened

She says this recent attack shows there are still more hurdles for the LGBTQ community to overcome. 

“In the States especially, they’ve come quite a bit in this past year or two with marriage equality and all that,” Hsu said, “but this event certainly shows that there’s still a lot of ground to be gained in terms of overall acceptance of the community,” 

Hsu says Kamloops Pride has a meeting scheduled this week and will discuss whether they want to do something in support of the victims of today’s mass shooting. 

“I mourn for the lives that were lost in this incident,” Hsu said. “I myself, and I think I can probably safely say for the rest of the board as well, that we stand in solidarity with the victims and their families during this really tragic time.”