A co-owner of the Orlando gay club where at least 50 people were killed Sunday had opened the hot spot to keep the spirit of her dead brother alive.
Barbara Poma, 47, who founded Pulse, said on the club’s Web site that she had vowed to build a safe haven for gay people in South Florida after her brother, John, died from AIDS in 1991.
“Almost all my life, Pulse has been a safe place for us to hang out and be gay. Now, I feel like I don’t have anywhere to go.”
- Anthony Esmura
“We coined the name Pulse for John’s heartbeat. It was important to create an atmosphere that embraced the gay lifestyle with décor that would make John proud,” she wrote.
The sprawling hot spot, which opened in 2004, is the go-to spot for drag shows and Latin dance nights in the city, which has at least two other gay bars, clubgoers said.
“It’s not a touristy bar. It’s everybody from straight to gay,” said Jeannette McCoy, 37, who survived Sunday’s shooting rampage.
Gay clubgoer Anthony Esmura, 26, left Pulse before the shooting broke out — but said he now fears violence will erupt at other gay-friendly venues.
“Almost all my life, Pulse has been a safe place for us to hang out and be gay. Now, I feel like I don’t have anywhere to go,” he said.
Poma and co-owner Ron Legler didn’t return requests for comment.
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