These Haunting Photos Show The Strength Of Orlando Before & After Pulse Massacre

Today is Orlando Pride. To mark the special occasion, Queerty asked Orlando lesbian transgender photographer Melody Maia Monet to share a sampling of her amazing photos of the local LGBTQ community along with captions, taken before and after the Pulse Nightclub massacre of June 12, 2016, in which 49 souls were lost.

Aftermath: Pulse Nightclub Memorial

July 2016.

After: Pulse Vigil

Candlelight vigil Lake Eola July 26 honoring 49 souls lost.

Before: MarcoMarco Party at Pulse

Fashion show at Pulse April 2016.

Before: Leather Night

Leather Night at BarCodes March 2016.

Before: Sunday mingling

Sunday Surrender in March 2016 Ember Sunday afternoons.

VAiN Nightclub 

The place to be on Sunday the hours before heading home for the night.

Before: Girls in Wonderland

The lesbian event during Gay Days. Here are the ladies who love ladies at House of Blues in June of 2016 one week before the tragedy.

After: Mural Center 

Mural memorializing the tragedy, painted on the side of the LGBT center in the Mills 50 district. Photographed July 2016.

The men of Flex Fridays at the club Southern Nights Orlando, showing love for Pulse on June 17, 2016.

After: Southern Nights Orlando

The girls at Southern Nights Orlando show their love June 18 2016.

After: Benefit 

A September benefit at The Abbey. The hood of the #49 police car lists the names of the 49 Pulse victims.

After: Survivors Benefit 

Massacre survivors at the Abbey benefit in September.

Before: Pride, 2015

Crowds gather to catch beads thrown from floats during Come Out With Pride in October 2015.

After: Pride, 2015

The view from a float as it travels through the Thornton Park neighborhood of Orlando during Come Out With Pride October 2015

About the photographer:

Melody Maia Monet is transgender woman and lesbian living in Orlando, Florida. She is also a professional writer, photographer, singer, and YouTube personality. She writes an opinion column for Watermark, the LGBT magazine of Orlando, which you can find at www.watermarkonline.com. Her photography website is monetphoto.com, her band maintains a website at madtransitband.com, and her YouTube channel is youtube.com/user/melodymaia. She can be reached by email at monet@alumni.princeton.edu.