A Florida equality spokeswoman has called for people who stoke racial, sexual and cultural division to be held accountable following an attack at a gay nightclub in Orlando that left 50 people dead and dozens more injured.
Equality Florida transgender rights director Gina Duncan told SBS News divisive comments contributed to attacks, like that at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, committed by Omar Mateen, 29.
Authorities are investigating whether Mateen had any links to Islamist terror group IS.
“This is one of those moments of national reflection that words have meaning and the meaning of words causes actions,” Ms Duncan said.
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“The divisiveness on the national stage in relation to our presidential election and the marginalisation of the Muslim community contributes to this kind of action by people.
“When you’ve got national figures creating division there are actions that come from that and those people should be held accountable.”
Following the attack presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump come out reiterating his plan to ban Muslims from the US and claiming he had “called” that such an event would happen.
“What has happened in Orlando is just the beginning,” he tweeted.
“Our leadership is weak and ineffective. I called it and asked for the ban. Must be tough.”
Ms Duncan said it could take until the end of the week to identify the 50 people killed in the attack as people and the FBI continued to process the scene of America's worst mass shooting.
Ms Duncan said the Orlando community was still trying to process what had happened at the nightclub.
"People are still saying it seems very surreal, we're so shocked and set on our heels, for this to be happening in such a welcoming and loving community," Ms Duncan said.
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“It’s something that’s really struck the core of our community.
“Orlando and central Florida has been known as one of the most LGBT inclusive and welcoming places in the state.”
Ms Duncan said Pulse was an “up-scale dance club” that was “known as a safe, welcoming, happy festival place” and had been filled to capacity to celebrate Latin Night and Pride Month.
In the aftermath of the attack, Ms Duncan said the LGBT community had come together to promote unity and encourage people to donate blood for the 53 people injured.
“We had a press conference this evening with the leaders of the LGBT community and the heads of LGBT organisations to show our community this will not define who we are,” she said.
“Besides that we have set up numerous blood donations that are overflowing with people - they’ve had to turn people away – and we’ve set up several GoFundMe accounts and huge amounts of money have been raised across the country.”
Ms Duncan said the overwhelming response from people around the country had been “surprising” where once upon a time an attack on the gay community would not have elicited such public grief.
“I went to one of the blood donation sites to give blood … and there were people just standing in line – many of them middle aged people like myself,” she said.
“Perhaps they have family member or relatives or friends [who are gay] or perhaps they just wanted to do something.
“This is not only an attack against the LGBT community, it’s an attack on the entire community of the US, it is going to change the way we live, it is going to be the new normal that we think twice about going to places and where we’re going to sit and where the exits are.”
Pride Month events elsewhere in the country have gone ahead, with people coming out to show the attack had not scared them.
In Orlando, Pride Month events will go ahead, but Ms Duncan said there likely to be heightened security, despite the community’s desire to carry on in spite of the attack.
“Americans are resilient and we will rally together and we will stay strong and live our lives with perhaps just a touch more caution,” she said.
