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'Love is love:' Orlando shooting victims honoured with rainbow-themed tributes the world over

Rainbow flags, lights and art are splashed all over cities, towns and social media accounts as people express their outrage and solidarity after 50 people were gunned down at a gay nightclub in Orlando in the middle of Pride month.

'We must honour the victims of this tragedy by continuing to embrace inclusively in the face of adversity'

Sheena Goodyear · CBC News ·
Tel Aviv city hall lit up with rainbow flag colours in solidarity with Florida's shooting attack victims on Sunday. The rampage in Orlando, Florida, left more than 50 people dead as people around the world celebrated LGBT Pride Month. (Oded Balilty/Associated Press)

All over the world, both online and off, bright and beautiful colours honour those affected by a dark and ugly event. 

Rainbow flags, lights and art are splashed all over cities, towns and social media accounts as people express their outrage and sadness after 50 people were gunned down at a gay nightclub in Orlando in the middle of Pride month.

Early Sunday morning, Omar Mateen of Port St. Lucie, Fla., armed with an assault rifle, killed 50 people and injured 53 at the Pulse nightclub before he was shot and killed by police. 

Officers have not speculated on his motivations, but many U.S. and world leaders have condemned the shooting — the deadliest the nation's history — as a hate crime targeting the LGBT community.

"When a violent act targeting members of the LGBTQI2S community becomes the worst mass-shooting in U.S. history, the sense of hurt and loss resonates globally," Egale Canada, a national LGBT rights organization, said in a statement.

"We must honour the victims of this tragedy by continuing to embrace inclusively in the face of adversity, and demonstrate that hatred and violence accomplish nothing of value or merit."

Online, thousands of people have offered their condolences using the hashtags #PrayForOrlando, #LoveIsLove and #ImWithThem.

Others have draped rainbow filters over their Facebook profile pictures to show their solidarity.

Cities all over the world — including Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg and Montreal — are holding vigils for the victims, hanging rainbow flags from their buildings and lighting up their monuments in rainbow colours. 

U.S. President Barack Obama said it was a "heartbreaking" day for LGBT communities and a reminder that any attack on Americans is an "attack on all of us."

"What is clear is that he was a person filled with hatred," Obama said. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sheena Goodyear

Journalist

Sheena Goodyear is a web journalist with CBC Radio's As It Happens in Toronto. She is equally comfortable tackling complex and emotionally difficult stories that hold truth to power, or spinning quirky yarns about the weird and wonderful things people get up to all over the world. She has a particular passion for highlighting stories from LGBTQ communities. Originally from Newfoundland and Labrador, her work has appeared on CBC News, Sun Media, the Globe & Mail, the Toronto Star, VICE News and more. You can reach her at sheena.goodyear@cbc.ca

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