COEUR d'ALENE — The Orlando massacre happened 2,763 miles away, but its effects are being felt right here in North Idaho.

That's why concerned citizens such as Juli Stratton are calling for action. A peace and justice vigil will be held at the Fourth Street entrance of McEuen Park at 7 p.m. Thursday.

"I need to know that there are a lot of us in this community who choose love over hate. Period. I won't tolerate a tragedy such as what happened in Orlando," Stratton said Monday. "We mourn those victims and their families and their friends, but this affects every person in this country."

Early Sunday morning, 50 people were killed and many more wounded in a mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla. The shooter, Omar Mateen, had recently expressed anger toward the gay community prior to the shooting.

June is pride month for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, and Orlando was in full celebration mode before Mateen opened fire.

"People will say to gay people, 'You have marriage equality, what more do you want?'" Stratton said. "We want to live our lives safely. We have just enough of a crazy faction that we can't."

Stratton, who is a board member of PFLAG Coeur d'Alene (formerly Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), said the vigil is not a PFLAG event, but an event organized by the newly formed Idaho Pride Alliance and others in the community who refuse to tolerate hate. Mayor Steve Widmyer, members of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations and clergy members are expected to attend and community testimonies will be heard.

"This is to show everybody that we don't stand alone as an LGBT community. It just makes us stronger as a community to come together," Stratton said. "It should be a very heartfelt evening."