Maxwell: After Pulse attack, with all eyes on Orlando, let me tell you who we really are

Naseem Miller, Orlando Sentinel
Angel Colon, one of the Pulse nightclub shooting victims, speaks at Orlando Regional Medical Center on Tuesday, June 14, 2016. (Naseem Miller, Orlnado Sentinel)
Steven Lemongello / Orlando Sentinel
Chalk messages outside the D'Magazine beauty salon in Kissimmee run by Pulse nightclub shooting victims Juan Pablo Rivera Velasquez and Luis Daniel Conde on Tuesday, June 14, 2016. (Steven Lemongello, Orlando Sentinel)
Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel
Florida governor Rick Scott talks to the media a few blocks from the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, June 12, 2016. Pulse is the site of the largest mass shooting in U.S. history. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
David Goldman / AP
Glorymar Soto, bottom left, lays a flower at makeshift memorial to the victims of Sunday's mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub while joined by Natividad Rivera, from left, Christian Caballero and Felipe Soto as they mourn the loss of their friend Javier Jorge-Reyes Tuesday, June 14, 2016, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel
Flowers attached to a crosswalk pole near the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 14, 2016, site of the largest mass shooting in U.S. history. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Charles King / Orlando Sentinel
First Baptist Orlando hosted a vigil Tuesday evening in honor of the victims of the Orlando Pulse night club shooting. (Charles King/Orlando Sentinel)
Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel
C.J. Ford of Orlando places flowers as visitors continue to pay their respects at a makeshift memorial at Orlando Regional Medical Center, a few blocks from the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 14, 2016. Pulse is the site of the largest mass shooting in U.S. history. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Stephen M. Dowell / Orlando Sentinel
Students place flowers during a vigil at the Student Union on the campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando on Tuesday, June 14, 2016. The vigil was to honor the slain victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Drew Angerer / Getty Images
ORLANDO, FL - JUNE 14: A flag flies at half mast for the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting, at Lake Eola, June 14, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. The shooting at Pulse Nightclub, which killed 49 people and injured 53, is the worst mass-shooting event in American history. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel
CNN's Chris Cuomo (left) prepares to gon the area at the media tent city that has sprung up on Orange Avenue a few blocks from the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., photographed Tuesday, June 14, 2016. Pulse is the site of the largest mass shooting in U.S. history. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Stephen M. Dowell / Orlando Sentinel
UCF President John Hitt listens during a vigil at the Student Union on the campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando on Tuesday, June 14, 2016. The vigil was to honor the slain victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Naseem Miller, Orlando Sentinel
Doctors at Orlando Regional Medical Center speak to the media on Tuesday, June 14, 2016. (Naseem Miller, Orlnado Sentinel)
Charles King / Orlando Sentinel
Attendees pray and sing during the First Baptist Orlando vigil Tuesday evening in honor of the victims of the Orlando Pulse night club shooting. (Charles King/Orlando Sentinel)
Rich Pope / Orlando Sentinel
Florida Hospital Dr Brian Vickaryous accompanys Pulse nightclub shooting survivors, Patience Carter, 20, and Angel Santiago. The two survivors told their story of how they escaped alive at a press conference held at Florida Hospital.
Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel
Jose Acevido Negron of Altamonte Springs, Fla. takes a photo with his iPhone as visitors continue to pay their respects at a makeshift memorial at Orlando Regional Medical Center, a few blocks from the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 14, 2016. Pulse is the site of the largest mass shooting in U.S. history. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel
A view of the Pulse nightclub sign in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 14, 2016, the scene of the largest mass shooting in U.S. history. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel
Orange Avenue remains closed near the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 14, 2016, site of the largest mass shooting in U.S. history. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel
Tourists survey the scene near the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 14, 2016, site of the largest mass shooting in U.S. history. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel
Jose Acevido Negron of Altamonte Springs, Fla. takes a photo with his iPhone as visitors continue to pay their respects at a makeshift memorial at Orlando Regional Medical Center, a few blocks from the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 14, 2016. Pulse is the site of the largest m
Drew Angerer / Getty Images
ORLANDO, FL - JUNE 14: A woman prepares to hang an American flag at a memorial for the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting, at the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts, June 14, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. The shooting at Pulse Nightclub, which killed 49 people and injured 53, is the worst mass-shooting event in American history. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Red Huber / Orlando Sentinel
Kelli Cantu 24,,left and Soe Aponte, 23, of Orlandobecome emotional Tuesday, June 14, 2016 as they visit a growing memorial at the The Dr. Phillips Center for the victims of the mass shooting at the Pulse Nightclub. (Red Huber/Staff Photographer)
Charles King / Orlando Sentinel
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer attended the First Baptist Orlando vigil Tuesday evening in honor of the victims of the Orlando Pulse night club shooting. (Charles King/Orlando Sentinel)
Jacob Langston / Orlando Sentinel
Members of the media pack into a room at Orlando Health for a press conference with doctors and one of the shooting victims of the Pulse nightcloob shooting on Tuesday, June 14, 2016. (Jacob Langston/Orlando Sentinel)
Red Huber / Orlando Sentinel
Matt Mitchell, 42, of Orlando who was born and raised in Orlando takes a moment Tuesday, June 14, 2016 to pray at a growing memorial at the The Dr. Phillips Center for the victims of the mass shooting Sunday at the Pulse Nightclub. (Red Huber/Staff Photographer)
Charles King / Orlando Sentinel
Attendees pray during the First Baptist Orlando vigil Tuesday evening in honor of the victims of the Orlando Pulse night club shooting. (Charles King/Orlando Sentinel)
Red Huber / Orlando Sentinel
Tony Backe, 56, of Orlando re-lights candles Tuesday, June 14, 2016 at a growing memorial at the The Dr. Phillips Center for the victims of the mass shooting Sunday at the Pulse Nightclub. "We need to spark the energy inside of us.", said Backe. (Red Huber/Staff Photographer)
Charles King / Orlando Sentinel
The names of everyone that lost their lives in the Orlando shooting were listed on a digital backdrop on the stage during a First Baptist Orlando vigil Tuesday evening. (Charles King/Orlando Sentinel)
Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel
FBI agents return to the scene of the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 14, 2016. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel
Visitors pay the respects at a makeshift memorial at Orlando Regional Medical Center, a few blocks from the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 14, 2016. Pulse is the site of the largest mass shooting in U.S. history. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Charles King / Orlando Sentinel
First Baptist Orlando pastor David Uth speaks at a vigil hosted by his church Tuesday evening in honor of the victims of the Orlando Pulse night club shooting. (Charles King/Orlando Sentinel)
David Goldman / AP
Jean Dasilva sits next to a makeshift memorial for the victims of Sunday's mass shooting at the Pulse Orlando nightclub as he mourns the loss of his friend Javier Jorge-Reyes Tuesday, June 14, 2016, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
David Goldman / AP
A mourner visits a makeshift memorial for the victims of Sunday's mass shooting at the Pulse Orlando nightclub Tuesday, June 14, 2016, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Steven Lemongello / Orlando Sentinel
Flowers, photos and messages outside the D'Magazine beauty salon in Kissimmee run by Pulse nightclub shooting victims Juan Pablo Rivera Velasquez and Luis Daniel Conde on Tuesday, June 14, 2016). (Steven Lemongello, Orlando Sentinel)
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
People visit a memorial for the Pulse nightclub shooting victims on the grounds of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts June 14, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. / AFP PHOTO / Brendan SmialowskiBRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel
C.J. Ford of Orlando places flowers as visitors continue to pay their respects at makeshift memorial at Orlando Regional Medical Center, a few blocks from the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 14, 2016. Pulse is the site of the largest mass shooting in U.S. history. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Drew Angerer / Getty Images
ORLANDO, FL - JUNE 14: A couple embraces as they visit a memorial for the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting, at the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts, June 14, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. The shooting at Pulse Nightclub, which killed 49 people and injured 53, is the worst mass-shooting event in American history. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Drew Angerer / Getty Images
ORLANDO, FL - JUNE 14: A group prays as they visit a memorial for the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting, at the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts, June 14, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. The shooting at Pulse Nightclub, which killed 49 people and injured 53, is the worst mass-shooting event in American history. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
David Goldman / AP
Jennifer Johnson, right, leans on her boyfriend Jeansem Sambolin while standing with her son Tyrone Clarke, 8, as they visit a makeshift memorial for the victims of the mass shooting at the Pulse Orlando nightclub Tuesday, June 14, 2016, in Orlando, Fla. Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez was one of those killed and had worked with Johnson. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Stephen M. Dowell / Orlando Sentinel
UCF students Kyle Gaze, left, and Rebecca Farina comfort each other during a vigil at the Student Union on the campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando on Tuesday, June 14, 2016. The vigil was to honor the slain victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando.
Drew Angerer / Getty Images
ORLANDO, FL - JUNE 14: People visit a memorial for the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting, at the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts, June 14, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. The shooting at Pulse Nightclub, which killed 49 people and injured 53, is the worst mass-shooting event in American history. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Rich Pope / Orlando Sentinel
Florida Hospital Dr. Brian Vickaryous accompanies Pulse nightclub shooting survivors, Patience Carter, left, and Angel Santiago. The two survivors told their story of how they escaped the Orlando nightclub alive at a press conference held at Florida Hospital.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
A man and child walk toward a memorial on the grounds of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts to honor the Pulse nightclub mass shooting victims June 14, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. The gunman who launched the worst terror attack on US soil since 9/11 at a gay nightclub in Orlando was radicalized by Islamist propaganda, officials said, amid reports he was a club regular. Lone gunman Omar Mateen killed 49 and wounded another 53 before he was killed when police stormed the Pulse, one of Orlando's most prominent gay venues, early Sunday. / AFP PHOTO / Brendan SmialowskiBRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Naseem Miller, Orlando Sentinel
Angel Colon, one of the Pulse nightclub shooting victims, speaks at Orlando Regional Medical Center on Tuesday, June 14, 2016. (Naseem Miller, Orlnado Sentinel)
David Goldman / AP
Jennifer Johnson, right, leans on her boyfriend Jeansem Sambolin while standing with her son Tyrone Clarke, 8, as they visit a makeshift memorial for the victims of the mass shooting at the Pulse Orlando nightclub Tuesday, June 14, 2016, in Orlando, Fla. Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez was one of those killed and had worked with Johnson. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel
Fox News contributor Geraldo Rivera interviews Florida governor Rick Scott, a few blocks from the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, June 12, 2016. Pulse is the site of the largest mass shooting in U.S. history. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
David Goldman / AP
Kathleen Kerr, of Orlando, Fla., holds flowers before placing them down at a makeshift memorial for the victims of the mass shooting at the Pulse Orlando nightclub Tuesday, June 14, 2016, in Orlando. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
David Goldman / AP
Mourners embrace as they visit a makeshift memorial for the victims of Sunday's mass shooting at the Pulse Orlando nightclub Tuesday, June 14, 2016, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Rich Pope / Orlando Sentinel
Pulse nightclub shooting survivor, Patience Carter, 20, was held hostage in the nightclub bathroom by Omar Mateen. Cater who is from Philadelphia was visiting Orlando with friends the night of the attack. Carter told her story of how she escaped alive at a press conference held at Florida Hospital, where she is recovering from two gunshot wounds to the legs.
David Goldman / AP
Glorymar Valley, center, is comforted by Christian Caballero, right, and Natividad Rivera, as they mourn the loss of their friend Javier Jorge-Reyes while visiting a makeshift memorial to the victims of Sunday's mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub Tuesday, June 14, 2016, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
A biker passes a memorial at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts to honor the Pulse nightclub mass shooting victims June 14, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. The gunman who launched the worst terror attack on US soil since 9/11 at a gay nightclub in Orlando was radicalized by Islamist propaganda, officials said, amid reports he was a club regular. Lone gunman Omar Mateen killed 49 and wounded another 53 before he was killed when police stormed the Pulse, one of Orlando's most prominent gay venues, early Sunday. / AFP PHOTO / Brendan SmialowskiBRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Charles King / Orlando Sentinel
Attendees pray during the First Baptist Orlando vigil Tuesday evening in honor of the victims of the Orlando Pulse night club shooting. (Charles King/Orlando Sentinel)
Red Huber / Orlando Sentinel
Tony Backe, 56, of Orlando re-lights candles Tuesday, June 14, 2016 at a growing memorial at the The Dr. Phillips Center for the victims of the mass shooting Sunday at the Pulse Nightclub. "We need to spark the energy inside of us.", said Backe. (Red Huber/Staff Photographer)
David Goldman / AP
A tear rolls down the cheek of Jose Martinez as he visits a makeshift memorial for his friend Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala and the fellow victims of the mass shooting at the Pulse Orlando nightclub Tuesday, June 14, 2016, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
David Goldman / AP
An image of Javier Jorge-Reyes sits at a makeshift memorial as his friends Jean Da Silva, left, and Felipe Soto, comfort each other in the wake of Sunday's mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub Tuesday, June 14, 2016, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Gal Tziperman Lotan / Orlando Sentinel
Seddique Mateen, the father of Omar Mateen, who shot and killed 49 people at Orlando's Pulse nightclub, said Tuesday, June 14, 2016, the families and friends of the dead and injured are in his thoughts. (Gal Tziperman Lotan, Orlando Sentinel)
Charles King / Orlando Sentinel
Attendees pray during the First Baptist Orlando vigil Tuesday evening in honor of the victims of the Orlando Pulse night club shooting. (Charles King/Orlando Sentinel)
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
A woman stands at a memorial for the Pulse nightclub shooting victims on the grounds of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts June 14, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. / AFP PHOTO / Brendan SmialowskiBRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Steven Lemongello / Orlando Sentinel
Flowers and photos outside the D'Magazine beauty salon in Kissimmee run by Pulse nightclub shooting victims Juan Pablo Rivera Velasquez and Luis Daniel Conde on Tuesday, June 14, 2016. (Steven Lemongello, Orlando Sentinel)
Red Huber / Orlando Sentinel
Matt Mitchell, 42, of Orlando who was born and raised in Orlando takes a moment Tuesday, June 14, 2016 to pray at a growing memorial at the The Dr. Phillips Center for the victims of the mass shooting Sunday at the Pulse Nightclub. (Red Huber/Staff Photographer)
Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel
Pastor Wilfredo Ruiz prays near the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 14, 2016, the scene of the largest mass shooting in U.S. history. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel
Pastor Wilfredo Ruiz (left) prays near the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 14, 2016, as tourists survey the scene, site of the largest mass shooting in U.S. history. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Drew Angerer / Getty Images
ORLANDO, FL - JUNE 14: People visit a memorial for the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting, at the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts, June 14, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. The shooting at Pulse Nightclub, which killed 49 people and injured 53, is the worst mass-shooting event in American history. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Rich Pope / Orlando Sentinel
Pulse nightclub shooting survivor, Patience Carter, 20, was held hostage in the nightclub bathroom by Omar Mateen. Cater who is from Philadelphia was visiting Orlando with friends the night of the attack. Carter told her story of how she escaped alive at a press conference held at Florida Hospital, where she is recovering from two gunshot wounds to the legs.
Stephen M. Dowell / Orlando Sentinel
Lit candles and yellow roses adorn the UCF logo during a vigil at the Student Union on the campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando on Tuesday, June 14, 2016. The vigil was to honor the slain victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Rich Pope / Orlando Sentinel
Pulse nightclub shooting survivor, Patience Carter, 20, was held hostage in the nightclub bathroom by Omar Mateen. Cater who is from Philadelphia was visiting Orlando with friends the night of the attack. Carter told her story of how she escaped alive at a press conference held at Florida Hospital, where she is recovering from two gunshot wounds to the legs.
Drew Angerer / Getty Images
ORLANDO, FL - JUNE 14: A woman takes a photo of the sunset next to a small memorial for the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting, at Lake Eola, June 14, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. The shooting at Pulse Nightclub, which killed 49 people and injured 53, is the worst mass-shooting event in American history. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Stephen M. Dowell / Orlando Sentinel
Students hold flowers during a vigil at the Student Union on the campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando on Tuesday, June 14, 2016. The vigil was to honor the slain victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Red Huber / Orlando Sentinel
Tony Backe, 56, of Orlando re-lights candles Tuesday, June 14, 2016 at a growing memorial at the The Dr. Phillips Center for the victims of the mass shooting Sunday at the Pulse Nightclub. "We need to spark the energy inside of us.", said Backe. (Red Huber/Staff Photographer)
Drew Angerer / Getty Images
ORLANDO, FL - JUNE 14: Melissa Soto cuddles with a therapy dog near a memorial for the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting, at the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts, June 14, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. The shooting at Pulse Nightclub, which killed 49 people and injured 53, is the worst mass-shooting event in American history. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Rich Pope / Orlando Sentinel
Pulse nightclub shooting survivor, Patience Carter, 20, was held hostage in the nightclub bathroom by Omar Mateen. Cater who is from Philadelphia was visiting Orlando with friends the night of the attack. Carter told her story of how she escaped alive at a press conference held at Florida Hospital, where she is recovering from two gunshot wounds to the legs.
Drew Angerer / Getty Images
ORLANDO, FL - JUNE 14: A couple embraces as they visit a memorial for the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting, at the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts, June 14, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. The shooting at Pulse Nightclub, which killed 49 people and injured 53, is the worst mass-shooting event in American history. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Rich Pope / Orlando Sentinel
Pulse nightclub shooting survivor, Patience Carter, 20, is consoled by Dr. Neil Finker. Carter was held hostage in the nightclub bathroom by Omar Mateen. She is from Philadelphia and was visiting Orlando with friends the night of the attack. Carter told her story of how she escaped alive at a press conference held at Florida Hospital, where she is recovering from gunshot wounds to the leg.
David Goldman / AP
Jean Dasilva, left, is comforted by Felipe Soto, as they mourn the loss of their friend Javier Jorge-Reyes while visiting a makeshift memorial for the victims of Sunday's mass shooting at the Pulse Orlando nightclub Tuesday, June 14, 2016, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
David Goldman / AP
Mourners embrace as they visit a makeshift memorial for the victims of Sunday's mass shooting at the Pulse Orlando nightclub Tuesday, June 14, 2016, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
David Goldman / AP
Lightning strikes as mourners visit a makeshift memorial for the victims of Sunday's mass shooting at the Pulse Orlando nightclub Tuesday, June 14, 2016, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Rich Pope / Orlando Sentinel
Pulse nightclub shooting survivor, Angel Santiago, 20, describes about how he escaped the nightclub the night of the attack at a press conference held at Florida Hospital on June 14, 2016. Rich Pope/OrlandSentinel
Charles King / Orlando Sentinel
Lindsey Bryant sings at the First Baptist Orlando vigil Tuesday evening in honor of the victims of the Orlando Pulse night club shooting. (Charles King/Orlando Sentinel)
Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel
Hip hop violinist Svet Radoslavof, who traveled to Orlando from New York, performs the U.S. national anthem as visitors from around the world continue to pay their respects at a makeshift memorial at Orlando Regional Medical Center, a few blocks from the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, June 14, 2016. Pulse is the site of the largest mass shooting in U.S. history. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Orlando Sentinel
Gal Tziperman Lotan / Orlando Sentinel
Reporters gather near the St. Lucie County of home Seddique Mateen, whose son killed at least 49 people and wounded 53 at Pulse nightclub in Orlando early Sunday.
Jacob Langston / Orlando Sentinel
Members of the media pack into a room at Orlando Health for a press conference with doctors and one of the shooting victims of the Pulse nightcloob shooting on Tuesday, June 14, 2016. (Jacob Langston/Orlando Sentinel)
VCG / Getty Images
SHANGHAI, CHINA - JUNE 14: (CHINA OUT) People light up candles to mourn the Orlando nightclub shooting victims at a bar on June 14, 2016 in Shanghai, China. At least 50 people were killed and 53 others wounded, including a police officer, early Sunday in the shooting at the popular gay nightclub Pulse in Orlando, Florida, the United States. The incident is considered as the deadliest mass-shooting in American history, surpassing the death toll of 32 in the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech. Toronto Mayor John Tory said the nightclub shooting is a "tragedy of unbelievable proportions." Authorities has identified the shooter as 29-year-old Omar Mateen, who was a security guard, the divorced father of a 3-year-old and, in school, someone who acted "dorky", and also was an extremist whose outspoken interest in terrorism twice put him on the FBI's radar screen. President Barack Obama addresses the attack at the White House and American flag has been lowered to half-staff at the White House and all other government buildings. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Red Huber / Orlando Sentinel
Matt Mitchell, 42, of Orlando who was born and raised in Orlando takes a moment Tuesday, June 14, 2016 to pray at a growing memorial at the The Dr. Phillips Center for the victims of the mass shooting Sunday at the Pulse Nightclub. (Red Huber/Staff Photographer)
Jacob Langston / Orlando Sentinel
Members of the media pack into a room at Orlando Health for a press conference with doctors and one of the shooting victims of the Pulse nightcloob shooting on Tuesday, June 14, 2016. (Jacob Langston/Orlando Sentinel)
Charles King / Orlando Sentinel
Volunteer greeter Pat Oppel hands out purple ribbons to attendees of Tuesday's First Baptist Orlando vigil. The vigil was held in honor of the victims of the Orlando Pulse night club shooting. (Charles King/Orlando Sentinel)
Red Huber / Orlando Sentinel
Kelli Cantu 24,,left and Soe Aponte, 23, of Orlandobecome emotional Tuesday, June 14, 2016 as they visit a growing memorial at the The Dr. Phillips Center for the victims of the mass shooting at the Pulse Nightclub. (Red Huber/Staff Photographer)
Drew Angerer / Getty Images
ORLANDO, FL - JUNE 14: People visit a memorial for the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting, at the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts, June 14, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. The shooting at Pulse Nightclub, which killed 49 people and injured 53, is the worst mass-shooting event in American history. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Stephen M. Dowell / Orlando Sentinel
Students applaud during a vigil at the Student Union on the campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando on Tuesday, June 14, 2016. The vigil was to honor the slain victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Jacob Langston / Orlando Sentinel
Members of the media pack into a room at Orlando Health for a press conference with doctors and one of the shooting victims of the Pulse nightcloob shooting on Tuesday, June 14, 2016. (Jacob Langston/Orlando Sentinel)
Rich Pope / Orlando Sentinel
Pulse nightclub shooting survivor, Patience Carter, 20, reads a poem she wrote at Florida Hospital while recovering from the gunshot wounds she received to the legs the night of the Orlando attack. Carter who is from Philadelphia was held hostage in the nightclub bathroom by Omar Mateen, and managed to escape after OPD SWAT members broke through the wall at the nightclub.
Charles King / Orlando Sentinel
Radio station Z 88.3 FM offers a sign for attendees of Tuesday's First Baptist Orlando vigil to write words of encouragement. The vigil was held in honor of the victims of the Orlando Pulse night club shooting. (Charles King/Orlando Sentinel)
Red Huber / Orlando Sentinel
Kelli Cantu 24,,left and Soe Aponte, 23, of Orlandobecome emotional Tuesday, June 14, 2016 as they visit a growing memorial at the The Dr. Phillips Center for the victims of the mass shooting at the Pulse Nightclub. (Red Huber/Staff Photographer)
Stephen M. Dowell / Orlando Sentinel
Students gather around lit candles surrounding the UCF logo during a vigil at the Student Union on the campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando on Tuesday, June 14, 2016. The vigil was to honor the slain victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Rich Pope / Orlando Sentinel
Pulse nightclub shooting survivor, Patience Carter, 20, was held hostage in the nightclub bathroom by Omar Mateen. Cater who is from Philadelphia was visiting Orlando with friends the night of the attack. Carter told her story of how she escaped alive at a press conference held at Florida Hospital, where she is recovering from two gunshot wounds to the legs.
Stephen M. Dowell / Orlando Sentinel
Thousands pack the Student Union during a vigil at the Student Union on the campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando on Tuesday, June 14, 2016. The vigil was to honor the slain victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Charles King / Orlando Sentinel
Orange County mayor Teresa Jacobs cries and hugs an attendee of the First Baptist Orlando vigil held Tuesday evening in honor of the victims of the Orlando Pulse night club shooting. (Charles King/Orlando Sentinel)
Drew Angerer / Getty Images
ORLANDO, FL - JUNE 14: Melissa Soto cuddles with a therapy dog near a memorial for the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting, at the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts, June 14, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. The shooting at Pulse Nightclub, which killed 49 people and injured 53, is the worst mass-shooting event in American history. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Red Huber / Orlando Sentinel
Matt Mitchell, 42, of Orlando who was born and raised in Orlando takes a moment Tuesday, June 14, 2016 to pray at a growing memorial at the The Dr. Phillips Center for the victims of the mass shooting Sunday at the Pulse Nightclub. (Red Huber/Staff Photographer)
Rich Pope / Orlando Sentinel
Pulse nightclub shooting survivor, Patience Carter, 20, was held hostage in the nightclub bathroom by Omar Mateen. Cater who is from Philadelphia was visiting Orlando with friends the night of the attack. Carter told her story of how she escaped alive at a press conference held at Florida Hospital, where she is recovering from two gunshot wounds to the legs.

By Scott Maxwell | smaxwell@orlandosentinel.com | Orlando Sentinel

PUBLISHED: June 14, 2016 at 9:43 p.m. | UPDATED: December 18, 2018 at 9:17 a.m.

As I wandered through the sea of TV trucks on Orange Avenue Tuesday, a strange sensation washed over me: That’s usually me.

I’m usually the one who parachutes into a community with a media badge to interview grieving families and document tales of ravaged lives. After hurricanes and wildfires. In the streets of New York after 9/11.

I’m usually the one wondering: Before the tragedy struck, what was this place really like?

Well, America, allow me to answer that about Orlando.

Let me to tell you who we are.

Yes, we are theme parks.

And yes, we are tacky. We are stucco mermaids and gift shops shaped like giant navel oranges.

But I have to be honest, America: That tackiness isn’t us. It’s you.

After all, we’re not the ones who crave three T-shirts for $5 or water-filled snow globes that say “Florida snowman.”

We are the place you want to come to escape your problems … well, unless you also want nudity and craps tables. Then you go to Vegas.

But far away from the parks — where hanging moss drips from live oaks and regal cypress trees stand guard (until we clear-cut them all to make way for strip malls) — most of us live in a different world.

And there — in walkable hipster neighborhoods and McMansion-filled suburbs — we are so much more.

We are artistic. Shakespeare and Tchaikovsky, Fringe Festival and Film Festival.

We are cutting-edge. With one of the best performing-arts centers in America, one the MLS’s most-popular soccer franchises and an NBA team that, at one point in time, knew what the post-season looked like.

We are foodies, flush with James Beard finalists with culinary hubs like the East End Market, which sits smack dab in the middle of one of those walkable neighborhoods I mentioned.

For all those non-theme-park reasons, the New York Times ranked Orlando as No. 13 last year on its list of “50 Places to Go” … right between Zimbabwe and St. Vincent.

If that all sounds incredibly sophisticated, well it is.

But it’s also misleading.

For here in Orlando, we are also poor.

We have some of the lowest wages of any major metro in America, thanks mainly to tourism attractions and hotel occupations that don’t pay living wages.

We have an economy built on the backs of people who scrub toilets on International Drive and have to take three bus transfers to do it.

For that reason, we are also a community in denial. We have grand dreams, but with wages that weigh us down like an anchor.

So we end up being a community full of dichotomies.

We are the opera and Philharmonic, yet also Lou Pearlman and the Backstreet Boys.

We are Park Avenue and Bithlo Speed World.

We are chateaubriand at the Waldorf Astoria and fried Oreos at the Central Florida Fair.

We are a melting pot.

By now, you know we have a lot of gay friends and neighbors. But if you’ve been left with the impression that they have to hide in nightclubs, you’ve been misled.

This city flies rainbow flags downtown. And more than 100,000 people attend our Pride parades around Lake Eola. One year, I rode on a float — and half the city council was riding on floats around me.

There are no closets here. Orlando is largely an oasis of open-minds and acceptance in a state that makes headlines for intolerance.

Diversity is one of Orlando’s hallmarks.

Yes, we’re “Latin” as you now know from “Latin night” at Pulse. But that’s an oversimplification. We are Puerto Rican, Cuban, Mexican and Dominican.

We’re Haitian and Asian.

We are South Carolinians and New Yorkers.

We are transplants.

It’s why we have a Vietnamese district on Colonial Drive and Mexican restaurants lining Semoran Boulevard; and why “pizza” means Chicago-style in one strip mall and New York-style in another.

Have I made it clear we have a lot of strip malls? Well, we do … though lately we’ve started gussying them up, adding pay-by-the-swipe wine bars and calling them “town centers.”

Oh, you know what else we are? We’re brave.

We have alligators, mosquitoes, hurricanes, sink holes, tornados, snakes and cockroaches the size of toy poodles.

We have a summer that starts in March, ends at Christmas and involves 280 percent humidity for much of that time.

We are evolving, getting beyond our citrus-field roots and theme-park mindset to become a place where people want to live.

And they do want to live here, America. In fact, they leave many of your cities to come join ours. Check out the Census data.

We are faith-filled. And we are generous.

Certainly we have faults. Lots of them. Maddening traffic. Underfunded education. And politicians who frequently require grand juries. I spend the better part of each year documenting all that.

But for the most part, we are diverse. And cultured. And aspiring to be more.

We are lots of things. But what happened in that nightclub on that one morning isn’t one of them.

That is not Orlando.

smaxwell@orlandosentinel.com