Tallahassee, FL – On Saturday, April 19, Students for a Democratic Society held their Queer Rave fundraiser at The Bark. The event had been in the works for a couple of months, but after the mass shooting at Florida State University on April 17, SDS members were unsure of how to move forward. On that tragic Thursday, two non-students – Robert Morales and Tiru Chabba – were killed and six others were wounded by the shooter.

The shooter used a gun obtained from his stepmother, who is a Leon County Sheriff’s officer. The shooter openly held white supremacist ideals and had been quoted mocking an SDS rally against Trump’s inauguration. An SDS protest to defend international students was set to occur at the same location as the shooting and just three hours after it took place.

With the blessing of the DJs and the venue, SDS leadership decided to move forward with the Queer Rave to give their community something to be joyful about and to stand in solidarity with the victims of April 17. All proceeds from door sales were donated to victims and families impacted by the mass shooting. Through the generosity of rave-goers, SDS was able to raise $350 that night, with a few donations being sent in the following days, adding up to over $550. The funds raised were donated to the family of Madison Askins, a graduate student at FSU, who survived the shooting and continues to recover in the hospital.

Despite the tragedy, those who attended the rave were in high spirits. The rave began with an introduction by SDS member Lain Dorsey and a moment of silence for the victims. DJ Ryan Lunar set an exciting tone for the event. As rave-goers trickled in, Lunar played mixes of Daft Punk’s Technologic and a euphoric medley of Clocks and Rhythm of the Night by Coldplay and Corona, respectively. Lunar stated that he was “very thankful and honored to have opened this event.”

DJ Gabbalish played a soulful house set using remixes from artists such as Janet Jackson. DJ Asexual began their set after midnight and included some atmospheric reworkings of rhythm and blues songs with chopped vocals. The rave concluded with a high-octane set by DJ Dalédi. She played a string of up-tempo remixes with a left-field assortment squeaks, whistles and plenty of chopped-up vocal samples.

Tally SDS will continue to stand in solidarity with the victims of the April 17 shooting on FSU’s campus. The organization will be holding their next planning meeting on Tuesday, April 22 at 5 p.m. in Common Ground Books. On the agenda will be organizing a protest to condemn the FSU administration’s platforming of white supremacists who inspired the tragic terror attack that occurred last week.

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