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But the community and camaraderie made the bar’s buzz of activity special, and (thankfully) ordinary: Space to socialize and celebrate at a gay bar in 2016 isn’t hard to find.ĭespite the massive strides the lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual, and queer communities have made in the last few decades, the shocking horror of the weekend’s shootings made clear the continued relevance and importance of these bars and nightclubs. Certainly, sober conversations and discussions around the televisions on the wall suggested nobody was unaware of the significance of the activities outside. Just one of a string of gay bars in the immediate neighborhood, The Monster was in the midst of a normal Monday. At the crescendo of one particular lyric-"that's the story of, that's the glory of love"-a crooner from the crowd, his square, white sunglasses askew, flashed a smile, adding contagious enthusiasm to an already buoyant singalong. In the corner, pianist Dan Daly was entertaining the crowd with classics, sipping a Perrier set atop his frosted glass-covered cocktail table, as patrons circled up and joined in on every number. Near the entrance, the bartender-in between giving hugs to friends and regulars-was running up and down the line, greeting regulars and reminding everyone of the 2-for-1 special tonight. Inside The Monster, a gay bar around the corner from Stonewall, where the event played out on video screens, it was difficult to hear for a different reason.
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The occasional Orlando t-shirt slid through the crowd, a physical reminder of how close many of the assembled were, and felt, to those who were murdered less than 24 hours earlier.Īt the edges of the thousands-strong crowd, it was difficult to hear the speakers, or make out the shouts of solidarity. A man with rainbow-colored angel wings stood watching the scene unfold.
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Hard to get into the mindset of someone who would do this.Friends met and embraced. "We’ve been trying to figure it out but we don’t know the motive possible hate crime," said Bendiner. The owners mostly want to know: Why this bar? The bar has posted an online fundraising campaign to help rebuild and care for two employees who were seriously burned: A DJ and another person who started working at Rash earlier that Sunday. Police have not yet said anything about it being hate-related. Since the blaze, the bar's owners have been discussing what happened online, questioning if the alleged arson was fueled by hate. The flames and smoke from that night also invaded two apartments above the bar, but everyone was able to make it out.Īnother co-owner told NBC New York that the suspect was last seen running down Myrtle Avenue towards Charles Place. Police are reviewing surveillance from a gas station around the corner that showed someone filling up a gas can minutes before the fire.
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