My Portraits of Pulse

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The Orlando Gay Chorus and J.D. Casto presented My Portraits of Pulse in front of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts (445 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando, FL)) on June 8, 2021.

The lawn in front  of the Center which was once covered in flowers and memorial items left behind after the massacre of 49 people  at Pulse Nightclub on June 12, 2016. The lawn is now covered with metal staging areas meant to promote social distancing for outdoor concerts and screenings. Food and drinks can be ordered by scanning a bar code and the orders are delivered to each table which avoids crowded lines at the concessions stand.

Three large screens were set up to project photos taken by J.D.Casto a local photographer. J.D. stood on stage talking about his perspective of what happened in Orlando following the shooting. That day he checked to be sure his camera batteries were charged and immediately went to The Center which became mission central for community outreach and a donations. In the Center a crowd was gathered watching TV and they all heard the official number of people who had died for the first time. Shock swept through the room. Photos taken that first day were largely of grief and sorrow.

National and international media flooded into Orlando and J.D. suddenly found himself shooting photos along side some of the best photographers in the world. His view of his self worth wasn’t that elevated, but he couldn’t stop taking photos and sharing them. The images captured slowly changed because along side all of the pain and grief, he saw a community filled with love. Many of his photos were used for a photo wall that is now part of the temporary memorial at Pulse. After each segment of his story, the chorus would stand and sing to a photo montage projected on the screens. The idea of telling the story of what happened after Pulse through the lens of one individual seems rather limiting, but the stories of thousands are also impossible to tell all at once.

 

Photographer J.D. Casto remembers Pulse.

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J.D. Casto is a filmmaker turned photographer. The day before the Pulse night club shooting on June 12th 2016, he was dog sitting. That evening he started to get texts asking if he was safe. He immediately started checking online news sources and once he found 3 sources that confirmed that there was a shooting at the Pulse nightclub, he packed his camera in his bag. at 10:07pm he found a report that the first shot was fired. at 11:20 he found a report that five were dead and others injured. He rushed out to shoot photos. He caught an amazing series of photos at The Center as everyone watched the news in disbelief. He watched the entire city go through the stages of grief. All city organizations became fatigued. As an artist he had a war board to keep track of all the events he shot photos of. He worked 20 hour days. The camera offered security. For him photos give some form of closure.

After Pulse crazies crawled out of the wood work. One con-artist used the outpouring of generosity following the Pulse shootings to convince organizations to give him money which he then pocketed. The same thing happened after the Boston Bombings. On Facebook, angry people sent survivors photos of victims. Gift cards were donated for victim’s families and the FBI sat on them. Peoples moral compasses were off. On his right arm, JD got a rose pattern compass tattooed on his arm. The tattoo faces him and he considers it his moral compass. An event like this rips the blinders off and says look, the world is shit and I see it, but how do we make it better? He. wanted to be the one who who says no and stays on course, due north, while others manipulate an already horrific situation.

There was an after party for a Cabaret on the evening of the shooting. Two members walked out as the shooter walked in. A fraternity brother of J.D.’s escaped, but he lost a friend named Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado that night. He became extremely active n the Orlando Gay chorus after Pulse. He talked about a huge chorus gala held in Colorado shortly after the shooting. When the Orlando Gay Chorus arrived they found banners of support hanging everywhere. The performances were in a huge opulent opera house. When the Orlando Gay chorus performed “You Will Never Walk Alone”, the entire audience of 5000 people sang along. Shocked by the outpouring of love, there were unexpected tears on stage. The Orlando Gay Chorus has performed over 400 times since the Pulse shooting. They sang at just about every event I sketched.

Six months after the shootings J.D. was still in triage mode, still shooting photos. Being gay shouldn’t define a person. Intolerance is intolerance, is
intolerance. This horrific event forced peoples hands so that perhaps
some good can come of it. He hasn’t had time to settle in here in Orlando. He still doesn’t have a couch. However, Orlando has become his home. He has found his groove and is rooted in Downtown and found his place in the community.

Angels at the Abbey.

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The Abbey, (100 S Eola Dr #100, Orlando, FL) hosted a red carpet event benefiting the Pulse of Orlando Fund. The evening marked three months since the tragedy and focused on the positivity, love, and inspiration we have seen from around the World. The evening included a Silent Auction, sale of Original Art pieces from around the World, performances by the Orlando Gay Chorus, Evin, and featured performer Brandon Parsons, singer of the hit single “Forty-Nine Times.”

Pulse entertainment manager, Neema Bahrami, was the MC for the evening and Pulse owner Barbara Poma was also in attendance.

This was a VIP red carpet event with limited tickets sold. 
100% of the proceeds for the evening went to the Pulse of Orlando Fund, the only 501(c)(3) nonprofit currently distributing funds to victims.

When I arrived at the Abbey, the Angels were lining up outside to greet guests as they arrived. It was a grey dusk and as I started to sketch it started to drizzle. I ran for cover on the patio. Winds picked up and angel wings snapped briskly, sometimes in other angel’s faces. Finally the light rain became a downpour and all the angels had to take cover. Some angels held their wings in place, while others let their wings flap. Duane Garrett in the bandanna and hat looked like a serious biker. That makes sense since Harley drivers are often some of the most charitable people you will meet. Duane introduced me to his wife Sunshine Garrett and she told me about how they have been wearing the wings to as many events as possible since day 1.  The wings were finally abandoned to the costume racks. The elements had won, but only after a valiant effort. In tight quarters, the wings PVC supports would often get tangled. The best way to maneuver was stepping sideways. One woman stood in the rain alone despite being drenched. The wings must get heavy when wet.

Toward the end of the evening, Barbara Poma, Pulse employees and several survivors lined up on the stage. A woman at the end of the line began to cry and the person next to her put her arms around her. Who had she lost? I felt an incredible love and loss as the room filled with applause. Approximately $4000 was raised for the Pulse of Orlando Fund.

One Pulse Sounds of Our City

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On Sunday, I went to One Pulse Sounds of Our City at Orlando Brewing (1301 Atlanta Ave, Orlando, Florida). The concert promised stellar local musicians with the proceeds to benefit the victims of the Pulse Nightclub tragedy. This musical event was hosted by Shadow Pearson and featured some of Orlando’s best musicians, writers and artists. It was exceedingly hot. The One Pulse Logo above the stage consisted of Mylar balloons. A large
tent was set up in front of Orlando Brewing, and an ice cream truck
offered cold refreshments.

The highlight of the afternoon’s performances was the Orlando Gay Chorus. They have been been performing non-stop at benefit after benefit. The chorus perform in two parts, the all male chorus and then the mixed gender chorus. Both sang uplifting songs that had the audience singing along. The Orlando Gay Chorus is the face of love, and they are the voice of hope. Don’t be afraid of the dark.

We finally have marriage equality in Orlando.

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On January 6th, at midnight, the ban on same sex marriages ended in Florida. At an event called Vowed and Proud, Mayor Buddy Dyer performed a mass wedding for over 40 same sex couples on the steps of city hall. Commissioner Patty Sheehan stepped up to the mic and proudly announced that she was the first openly gay commissioner in the City Beautiful. The crowd cheered. She pointed out that it was a long hard battle to get to this day. This was a day to celebrate love. Some of the couple had been together longer than many heterosexual couples.

I found a view where I could see the mayor and the row of couples waiting to be married. One of Buddy’s security guards however considered me a menace with my sketchbook and he told me to move. Sigh, he’s just doing his job. I moved much further back to sketch the huge crowd gathered. Originally the ceremony was going to be held in the City Hall rotunda, but the event was too big to be contained inside.  The Mayor Told all the couples to face each other and they recited after him, “With this ring, I thee wed.” There was a huge cheer from the crowd when the ceremony was complete. The Orlando Gay Chorus then sang, Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

There were two sad and sullen protesters, but their hateful shouts were downed out by the celebration of love. On a radio program on my drive downtown, the protesters were given a microphone to air their views. I turned the radio off. I don’t need to hear their hate. They shouted, “Jesus is coming!” “Good” I thought, “Jesus would appreciate this celebration of love.” The tides are changing. The brightness of joy outweighed the protests of a few. Florida Family Action filed a lawsuit against Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer
in an effort to stop the ceremony, as well as others across the state, reported WKMG in Orlando. The group fought for a gay marriage ban in Florida, which was approved by voters in 2008. That ban was found to be unconstitutional. They clearly did not succeed. Wedding planners, hotels and resorts feel that Orlando could become a wedding destination for same sex couples in the deep south. January 6th was a truly historic moment in Orlando and I’m happy I was there to sketch it.