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As Americans we all need to stand up and stand together against fear and violence.” Without the spark of the divine within every individual we are not whole.” President of the Sikh Institute of Fresno, Gurinder Singh Narain stressed that, “The Sikh community accepts all differences because we are all brothers and sisters regardless of our different names. This is our vigil.” Rabbi Rick Winer from Temple Beth-Israel said, “All of the world must be together and celebrated. Imam Seyed Ali Ghazvini from the Islamic Cultural Center told the crowd, “Today we will have peace and support you.” Tim Kutzmark from the Unitarian Universalist Church asked how anyone could fail to notice that this killing was hateful and wrong. Speakers from across faith communities and local organizations lent their support and expressed their grief to the hundreds in the crowd. It is important to be out on the street corner with our signs and show that we will stand our ground, fight this prejudice and hatred, and not be pushed into the shadows.” What’s important about all this, is to continue to have rallies and be visible. “So soon after the shooting, many people were concerned about safety but they still showed up. “What impressed me about this vigil was how many people came out from the LGBT community and our allies to support one another.” They are centers of safety and acceptance in a world that too often is not. “I worked at Express, and sometimes I worried about someone coming into the club and shooting people.” Many in the LGBT community have stressed the fact that gay clubs have never been just bars and nightclubs as they are to straight people. Jarvis was one of the organizers of the Tower District vigil held on June 12 to honor the victims and spread solidarity. That feeling of just how fearful it can to be LGBT person.” The shooting at the Pulse club in Orlando where 50 LGBT individuals died just brought it all back. Over the years, as there has been more acceptance, I pushed back that sense of fear. Once inside, there was sanctuary, but it wasn’t uncommon in those days for people to drive by throwing rocks us. “We used to have to drive around to find a safe space to park. People my age remember going to the old Express gay club near Belmont and Hwy 180,” says Chris Jarvis of Fresno LGBT Community Center.