Instant Alert: Moving portraits of Orlando natives after the deadliest mass shooting in American history

MANAGE SUBSCRIPTIONS   |   UNSUBSCRIBE   |   VIEW ONLINE   Moving portraits of Orlando natives after the deadliest mass shooting in American history by Sarah Jacobs on Jun 29, 2016, 10:24 AM Advertisement The mass shooting that oc cured at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida was the deadliest hate crime in American history against the LGBT community and Latino people, leaving 49 dead and dozens wounded. Less than a week after the shooting, National Geographic sent photographer Wayne Lawrence and reporter Melody Rowell to help tell the stories of how the LGBT community is coping with the tragedy. "Now in Orlando, couples worry about their children, survivors grapple with guilt, volunteers try to stay busy. And yet, virtually all of the people we spoke to for these portraits speak of love, unity, and hope," wrote Rowell. Ahead, 10 Orlando natives reveal how they're standing strong.   Demetrius Spires "I was at Pulse the night of the shooting. I was on my way home. I was standing at the door when all of a sudden I heard gunshots and all that. And I ran out the door and I didn’t look back. My heart goes out to everybody that has family that was involved or killed inside that shooting." Amy Moshier "I hate the news. The news makes me sad. It makes me angry and I refuse to watch it, but then it happened in my hometown in a club that I used to frequent a lot when I was younger. I literally cannot put the news down. Since it’s happened, almost every day, I’ve been at the LGBT Center volunteering my time. While I’m volunteering, I feel like I’m doing something and the hurt doesn’t hurt as much watching all the love here in Orlando and everybody coming together. Gay, straight, black, white, Muslim. It’s really uplifting in this terrible time. This has done serious damage to our community. The gay clubs here really were a sanctuary for us, and now for something like this to happen in our sanctuary is very unnerving." Jorion Range, Ismael "Izzy" Vazquez, and Heath Marvin “It’s finally our turn to say something and say something loud now that the spotlight is on us,” Vazquez says.   See the rest of the story at Business Insider   Share the latest business news with your network: Email sent to:   |   Manage your email preferences   |   Unsubscribe Terms of Service   |   Privacy Policy Business Insider. 150 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011