Two Akron LGBT bars joined to show support for victims of the Orlando shootings by holding a candlelight vigil shortly after sunset Monday.
Anthony Stanton, entertainment director of Cocktails 2.0 in East Akron, organized the vigil with help from his counterpart at the Interbelt, Akron’s largest gay nightclub.
“We love our brothers and sisters and we feel horrible this tragedy happened. We had to speak up and because it is our community, we are going to be louder than most people,” Stanton said.
The vigil included speakers Ken Divletson of Kent State, Rebecca Callahan of CANAPI and the Rev. Robert Holland of the LGBT-founded Cascade Community Church who told the crowd of about 150, “I want you to know that someone cares about you.”
DeShawn Millender and his partner Andy Watson stood in Cocktails parking lot holding candles and each other’s hands.
“I feel obligated to be here just to support not only the gay community in Akron, most of these people are my friends and family,” Millender said, “but it goes further out for me all across the world to countries where you can’t have events like these, countries where people are tortured for the lifestyle that we have the freedom to live.
Both Millender and Watson said they consider others in the gay community their family, but that the tragedy speaks to larger issues.
“It’s not just about sexual orientation or gender identity. It’s America,” Watson said. “These things do bring us together and we need to realize that we are better than that.”
“We need to remind ourselves that this could’ve been us and Orlando could be holding a vigil for us,” Millender said.
The Interbelt took steps Monday to better protect its patrons by enacting new security measures. The downtown club announced the changes on a post on its website and Facebook page.
“ … Effective immediately ALL patrons (regardless of who you are, or how well we know you) will be professionally screened at the door by a member of our security team and you will be required to pass through a metal detector prior to entry. In addition to these changes the Interbelt will be working closely with the Akron Police Department to ensure one of their off-duty officers is present at our club during events.”
Charley Snyder, the Interbelt’s manager, said, “We had security, but we didn’t feel like we needed any added security. We’ve never used a metal detector in 28 years.”
The added measures include the metal detector and an Akron police officer in front of the club from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Mondays and Fridays, traditionally the club’s busiest nights. Additionally, Snyder said the Interbelt’s in-house security will be on hand and visible on other nights.
Snyder, who was a longtime Interbelt customer before becoming a manager, said immediately following the shootings, the club’s Facebook page was inundated with patrons wondering about their safety measures, though troublemakers have been few.
“We don’t have a lot of problems; we’ve never had any major problems, nothing we couldn’t handle in-house,” Snyder said.
He added that even outside the club, patrons aren’t harassed too often or too dangerously. “We still get the occasional drive-by-shouting, but that’s all we get,” he said.
“None of them are even brave enough to stop their cars. They do it because we’re on the corner of an interchange where they can turn right and get away from their cowardice,” Snyder said.
Malcolm X Abram can be reached at mabram@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3758.