In the early morning hours of Sunday, June 12, the lives of many changed forever in Orlando, Florida. More than 300 people went to Pulse, a gay nightclub, that night. Forty-nine of them never went home.

Near closing time, Omar Mateen entered the nightclub with a rifle.

In addition to those he killed, Mateen wounded 53 more at Pulse that morning. Mateen was subsequently shot and killed by Orlando police after pledging allegiance to ISIS and carrying out the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history and the worst terror attack on U.S. soil since 9/11.

This past Monday, UA student organizations hosted a flameless, evening candlelight vigil on the steps of Gorgas Library in honor of the victims killed at Pulse. According to a flyer for the event, organizers of the vigil hoped to create the community needed for those at the University who are LGBTQ+ and seeking support in the wake of the shooting. Many organizations on campus such as Spectrum, Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equality  (URGE) and the Political Science Graduate Student Association (PSGSA) helped organize the vigil. These groups called for standing in solidarity in wake of the massacre, and called for policies to protect human dignity and halt future acts of mass violence.