Rick Neale

Florida Today

Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed a quote from the Muslim alliance supporting sexual and gender diversity. The quote belongs to Sadiya Abjani.

Sunday night more than 100 mourners braved drizzling rain and lightning to attend a candlelight vigil on the shore of Lake Eola in downtown Orlando to remember victims of the Pulse nightclub attack.

In the shooting spree, the deadliest in U.S. history, 50 people died and another 53 were injured.

Around the country, other communities shared in Orlando's grief, gathering to pray, sing and stand against acts of violence.

"We're not allowing fear to dictate our actions. We all woke up in darkness, and we really didn't know how to deal with any of it," said organizer Mitch Foster, founder and publisher of Shows I Go To Music Magazine.

"We were lost and scared, unsure. Defeated. I didn't want to get out of bed this morning because of the things I've dealt with with the shooting at the concert venue," Foster said.

Orlando shootings unfolded 'like rolling thunder'

"That's one of our homes. We go to a lot of concerts there," he said.

Orlando resident Cassandra Turner's brother worked at Pulse from 2011 to 2015, and she lives about three miles from the nightclub.

"This is a time for us to stand together as one. If we were afraid to show up at this park today, that would have made whoever did that last night win," Turner told the candlelight vigil crowd, eliciting calls of "Amen!"

Orlando nightclub shooting: What we know

"We're here today because we're not going to let them win," Turner said, generating applause.

"We're here today because we're strong, OK? Because we're resilient. And better than all of that," she said.

In Indianapolis, thousands who celebrated Indy Pride on Saturday gathered at Old National Center Sunday night for a vigil organized by Indy Pride to pray for the victims, and celebrate the progress and love that the weekend's Pride events highlighted.

"It's ironic to go from something so celebratory to something so tragic and unnecessary," said Miranda Zoch as she wiped tears from her eyes after the vigil.

Attendees of the vigil hugged, and some cried in the dark Egyptian Room at the concert venue. The Indianapolis Men's Choir sang a prayerful hymn, and speakers urged Hoosiers to let love shine through the tragedy.

Rima Khan-Shahid, executive director at the Muslim Alliance of Indiana, condemned the attacks, speaking of unity and peace. After she spoke, the crowd stood with a resounding ovation.

"We urge community to stand against all acts of violence," Khan-Shahid said.

Rabbi Paula Winnig also spoke to large claps and cheers when she urged voters to consider whether candidates support gun laws when they head to the polls in November.

In Chicago, hundreds of people joined in mourning at "Boystown," the first officially recognized gay village in the USA. Boystown is the commonly accepted nickname for the eclectic East Lakeview neighborhood that is home to Chicago's gay and lesbian community, according to ChicagoPride.com.

Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson told the crowd he’s beefed up patrols in the city’s historically gay enclave — a step that police chiefs in New York, San Francisco and Washington also took in the aftermath of the rampage.

“Our goal is to make sure you are safe,” Johnson told the crowd.

Colleen Daley, an activist with the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence, connected Orlando to a series of mass shootings, including last year’s killings at a historically African-American church in Charleston, S.C.

“This is happening way too much in our country,” Daley said. “The connecting elements in all of these are hate and guns.”

Andy Thayer, an activist with the Gay Liberation Network, said that it was important that solidarity between the LGBT and Muslim communities at this moment was vital.

“An attack on one of is an attack on all of us,” Thayer said. “We are a rainbow community and we got the recent passage of pro LGBT legislation through the efforts of not just ourselves but of so many non-LGBT people speaking up for us. So as we go forward, my message to our community is: We cannot multiply the hate that we saw at 2 a.m. this morning by scapegoating Muslims or people of other faiths.”

In New York, a group of interfaith religious leaders gathered at Washington Square South to sing and pray.

Sadiya Abjani, a Muslim gay woman and member of a Muslim alliance supporting sexual and gender diversity, said, "The first selfish fear that came into my head was, 'Oh, God, please don't let that person's name be Muslim. Every day I live in that fear that in the next tragedy that person's gonna have a Muslim name."

And in Kansas City, a vigil was planned featuring music and the lighting of the Christopher S. Bond Bridge in rainbow colors.

Contributing: Justin L. Mack and Madeline Buckley, The Indianapolis Star; Ellie Miao and Aamer Madhani, USA TODAY; and Sophia Tulp, USA TODAY College correspondent.Follow Rick Neale on Twitter: @RickNeale1

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