Wurundjeri Elder Aunty Diane Kerr honours elders past and present and those in attendance, acknowledges the premier and the special guests taking part in the vigil, and speaks of her sorrow at the events in Orlando

This week, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) communities experienced a horrific atrocity on our way of life. When Omar Mateen entered the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida and caused the death of 49 people and the injury of 53 it shattered the hearts of many in our JOY community and across the world. JOY 94.9 strongly condemns this hideous violence targeted at our communities, and sends our love to all those affected by this abhorrent tragedy.

The Victorian LGTBI communities and allies came together at Federation Square on Thursday 16 June 2016 at 5pm, to stand in solidarity with Orlando and against hate and prejudice. A multi-faith service followed at 6pm in St Paul’s Cathedral.

JOY’s news and current affairs program ‘The Informer’ also covered news from Orlando over the course of the week.