Forty-nine people are killed in this predominantly Latinx LGBTQ+ community space, and 53 are wounded. The LGBTQ+ community launches a response under the hashtag #OrlandoUnited. The shooter, a Muslim man, is identified in the media first as a "terrorist," and then later as a "domestic terrorist," leading to an increase in Islamophobic targeting around the country. Trump uses the shooting to bolster his anti-immigrant platform while running for President.

In the ensuing days, the fact of this violence becomes a political wrestling tool, often invisibilizing the racism, homophobia, and transphobia that led to the shooting as political fights over immigration and terrorism obscure the real and layered impact on the local community.