06/12/2026
"My son. My son." The man grabbed my shoulders and began to sob.
Ten years ago, I stood outside Pulse Nightclub in Orlando shortly after the deadliest attack against LGBT+ people in U.S. history. 49 lives had been taken. Dozens more were injured. The city of Orlando was grieving.
The father standing before me could barely speak through his tears.
"I told him not to go to that club. I told him no son of mine should ever be gay."
Then he shared something even harder.
"When my son came out, I wanted him to die. I could never be the father of a gay son in my culture."
As we stood there, he described the night of the shooting. Hearing the breaking news. Calling his son's phone over and over. Waiting for answers that never came.
And then something happened.
The father who had once rejected his son found himself crying out to God all night long, "Please don't take my son."
Hours later, the phone finally rang.
Certain he was about to hear confirmation of his son's death, he answered. Instead, he heard a familiar voice.
"Dad, I'm okay. Can I come home?"
Without hesitation, he replied, "I love you. Please come home."
At that moment, the father pointed toward the memorial fence. There, curled against the chain link, was his 19-year-old son.
Alive.
"I still got my son," he whispered through tears.
Every night since the shooting, he had brought his son back to the memorial site. Together they grieved friends who never came home.
I've never forgotten that encounter.
It reminded me that we often don't realize the value of a relationship until we're afraid we might lose it.
Whether you're a parent, pastor, friend, or family member, there may come a day when the next conversation, hug, or opportunity to say "I love you" isn't guaranteed.
Love people while you can.
June 12th marks 10 years since the Pulse tragedy. So what have we learned ten years later?
Will we be a safe place for the LGBT+ community to reclaim their dignity, value, and worth in a world that has been dangerous to them over and over again through history?
Read the Full Story👉 https://postureshift.com/pulse-nightclub-10-years-later/
