Sandra Kurt remembers the way it felt the first time she entered a gay bar in her home state of Iowa.
“I was afraid I’d be recognized and I was afraid of violence,” Kurt told a crowd of hundreds, many holding rainbow gay pride flags. “I was afraid that people who hated me, and people like me, would act on their hatred and hurt us.”
But that’s not what Kurt found. Instead, she discovered a place where she could be herself without fear.
That’s the same feeling 49 victims likely had about Pulse, the Orlando gay club where they were shot and killed last weekend. Another 53 people were wounded in the attack.
“They were in a place that we have always gone to find a safe space where we can be ourselves,” Kurt said, “where we can openly express our love and be true to ourselves and our feelings.”
The remarks by Kurt, who serves as Summit County’s clerk of courts, were part of a vigil held Friday evening at First Congregational Church of Akron, 292 East Market St. The crowd that gathered there was diverse — including people from all races, religions, ages, sexual orientations and identities — but they had one thing in common: They were allies to the queer community, which is fed up with gun violence.
The Rev. Harvey Harrison Glover, with Gateway Ministries of Akron, was one of several speakers who joined Kurt in addressing the crowd.
“Crime and violence invade us all. It does not matter where you stand or on what platform you stand, but you must stand against violence,” Glover said. “You must stand against unrighteousness. You must stand against hatred.”
The Rev. Nanette Pitt, who ministers at First Congregational, told the crowd the diversity among the group was paramount — but so was unity.
“We come together to stand tonight in solidarity, to stand side by side to assert one another’s value as part of one human family, to declare our unity despite our diversity,” she said, “and to witness to the world that love is love, is love, is love, is love.”
As she spoke, in reference to a speech given by ‘Hamilton’ creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda at the Tony Awards this week, the crowd joined her with booming voices with each “is love” she spoke.
Ahmad Deeb, of the Islamic Society of Akron and Kent, also spoke of diversity and unity. He told the crowd that Muslims were condemned following the Orlando attack because the shooter was Muslim. But the shooter’s religion shouldn’t be the focus, he said.
“The reality is what happened was wrong. Period,” Deeb said. “People’s lives were lost... for what?”
After the event, a group of young people said they were moved.
Sarah Stutler, 18, said the reading of the victims’ names at the vigil especially struck her.
“Even just hearing those names, those are symbols of a life that’s lost,” she said, “and that’s so hard.”
Her friend, 17-year-old Stasha Gacpar, said she hopes there might be something positive that results from the tragedy.
“I hope this leads people to believe that homophobia is very real,” she said. “Because it is real.”
Her friend, 18-year-old Alex Petras, agreed.
“A good deal of my friends fall under the label of the people who were targeted in Orlando,” Petras said. “This could have been anyone I know.”
Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com.