On the fifth anniversary of the mass shooting there that took 49 lives and wounded 53 others, President Joe Biden announced that he would designate the site of the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando a national memorial, the Associated Press reports.
The city of Orlando attempted to purchase the site about six months after the 2016 massacre, but the owner declined, citing an emotional attachment to the club. The owner was going to use a portion of the property to build a memorial and museum to the massacre and to the local LGBTQ community; that project is set to open in 2022.
Biden, calling the site “hallowed ground,” said in a statement Saturday that he had “stayed in touch with families of the victims and with the survivors who have turned their pain into purpose” for the cause to advance LGBTQ rights and equality.