The City of Orlando, Florida has announced the former queer venue Pulse nightclub will be removed in March, to make way for a permanent memorial for the 49 people killed and 53 wounded in the horrific 2016 massacre.
Construction of the memorial will begin later this year, following a design consultation process with the community, families and survivors.
The memorial site will include a memorial and reflection space, a reflection pool in place of the dance floor symbolising peace and remembrance, and an elliptical walkway marked with 49 columns honouring each of the lives lost to this brutal attack.
Working towards this permanent memorial has been a difficult task in the current political climate of the USA. Last year, a rainbow crossing was removed from outside Pulse, following orders by Secretary of Transport Sean Duffy.
In 2025, Florida Governer Ron de Santis was also widely criticised for omitting mentions of LGBTIQA+ people and Latin Americans in his memorial speech, two communities specifically targeted in the 2016 attack.
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