AI Chat Search Browse Media On This Day Map Quotations Timeline Research Free Datasets Remembered About Contact

Chch Councillor to LGBTI people "We stand with you"

Wed 15 Jun 2016 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback

Over a hundred people gathered in a cool Christchurch evening to pay their respects to the people devastated by the gun attack at the gay Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida.   The pathway to the ceremony space was lined with 49 red candles, one for every death in the tragedy so far. There was a huge rainbow flag on display and a rainbow candle that was lit by the organisers at the start of the ceremony. The Isaac Theatre Royal, adjacent to the ceremony space, and the Christchurch International Airport, were both lit up in rainbow colours for the night. There was a large contingent from the LGBTI communities, but with a strong presence from elsewhere in the general Christchurch community, with family, friends and community representatives also in evidence. Most people were in groups, but there were a small number of people who attended by themselves and who were content to take part in the proceedings from the fringes. The event was organised at short notice by a small band of Christchurch rainbow community group leaders, and involved members of the LGBTI communities, and a representative of the Mayor of Christchurch, Lianne Dalziel. Human Rights Commissioner Richard Tankersley, from Christchurch, led the proceedings with a welcome and an outline of the memorial. He noted that the Commission had issued a joint statement with the Federation of Islamic Associations, deploring the hate and violence of the attacks, and encouraging people to stand together as they grieved. He gave a reflection on who had gathered and the commonalities between them. “We are part of the human family," he said, "we care enough to be out here on a mid-winter Canterbury evening … we are prepared to push back against hatred … we are ready to stand against prejudice … we believe that people should not be hurt or killed because of who they are … and we’re prepared to say so in public.” Christchurch City Councillor Andrew Turner read from a letter that Mayor Dalziel had sent to her counterpart in the City of Orlando upon hearing of the tragedy: “The City of Christchurch suffered a devastating earthquake in which 185 people perished. ...we came together and supported each other and I’m sure your community will also. On behalf of the people of Christchurch may I say kia kaha (“stay strong”) to you and the people of Orlando. We stand with you in your grief and your condemnation of such brutal and senseless acts of violence.” After the minute’s silence a member of the public played a lament on the bagpipes, and then music and dancing lightened the sombre mood, with everything from Sister Sledge to Lady Gaga pumping out through the Dance-o-Mat sound system. A dozen or so younger people were still on the floor when this reporter quietly headed off home for dinner. Solidarity events have been held by glbti communities around the world in the aftermath of the Orlando massacre and on Monday night vigils were held in Wellington and Auckland.    

Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff

First published: Wednesday, 15th June 2016 - 9:40am

Rights Information

This page displays a version of a GayNZ.com article that was automatically harvested before the website closed. All of the formatting and images have been removed and some text content may not have been fully captured correctly. The article is provided here for personal research and review and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of PrideNZ.com. If you have queries or concerns about this article please email us