The air conditioner unit had been turned off so we could hear Christopher Hansen (Chansen) talk about that horrible night at Pulse. The heat became unbearable so it was turned back on and Chansen moved closer to the camera and microphone.
“You don’t go out thinking you might not make it out.” he said. “You don’t go to a club to become a rat in a cage.” Being in the limelight has had it’s toll. He has been accused of being someone he is not. Strange online conspiracy theorists claim he is an actor, director named Bjorn Jiskoot Jr. Some people need a life.
However the city of Orlando’s response has made him realize that this is city is his home. “Orlando has come together with love and unity.” Chansen was told by his father, “You need to find a community, if you don’t have a community who is going to miss you?” Since that night at Pulse Chansen has begun to find a network of friends, his knights of the round table.
Pulse has had such an impact on his life. It was his first time in the club and he was new to Orlando. The benefits and fundraisers still continue although the fervor is slowly dying down three months since the shooting. The money raised however isn’t for survivors who were not shot. It is intended for the 53 survivors who have physical wounds. Most of the attention is turned to the 49 victims, while survivors are largely overlooked. Some fundraising money is lost in the cracks and will never go to those in need. The number of people who claim to have been at Pulse that night is impossibly high. It is very clear that Chansen was there and he helped others survive. It is impossible to know what any of us would do in that situation. Who knew that a night out could change so many lives forever.