Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Officials in a Florida city are launching a program allowing businesses to designate themselves as safe places for gays and lesbians if they feel threatened.
Orlando officials will begin distributing decals Monday to local businesses to post in their windows identifying them as places members of the LGBTQ community can go if they feel they are in jeopardy.
The rainbow-colored decals are in the shape of a police badge and say, "Safe Place."
The program is starting on the six-month anniversary of the massacre at the Pulse gay nightclub.
Forty-nine people were killed and dozens more seriously injured in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
Seattle was the first city to adopt this type of program, and Orlando is the first city to do so in the southeast.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
