Founded in memory of her brother, Pulse was more than ‘just another gay club’
Barbara Poma’s big brother taught her the necessities – how to apply her makeup, how to highlight her lush hair, how to be fabulously fashion forward.
To her, John was not gay, not just a politically-charged label. He was, in her words, her “loving brother”.
As teens in the beachside town of Fort Lauderdale, nestled along Florida’s southeastern coast, John introduced her at the age of 14 to his mysterious, dynamic world, a vibrant, sexy, underground realm that came alive overnight in bars and clubs.
From the beginning, Pulse has served as a place of love and acceptance for the LGBTQ community
There, with John at her side, Barbara learned how to party – and love unconditionally – inside these spaces that were safe for all.
Then on February 13, 1991, her brother died. He had battled for years with HIV, a disease that robbed thousands of gay men of their lives in the height of the Aids epidemic.
A decade later, to keep his memory alive, Barbara co-founded a new nightclub in Orlando with her friend, Ron Legler. Like the places where John first introduced her to his community’s colourful life, her club would embody that energy. It would have decor to make John proud and “an atmosphere that embraced the gay lifestyle,” according to its website.
Her club would be more than “just another gay club.”