Pulse nightclub
- Details
- Published on Tuesday, 14 June 2016 18:15
- Written by editor
Warning: trigger alert — this may be very difficult to read as the content refers to homophobic gun violence.
A,
I’ve typed and retyped the first line of this email 100 times, trying to find the words to describe the desperate pain and anguish of what happened at a Florida nightclub this past weekend.
A gunman walked into a gay nightclub and opened fire, leaving 49 people dead. The majority of them were LGBTQ and Latinx young workers. They were also best friends, lovers, mothers, fathers, and party-goers. It’s the worst mass shooting in recent US history. And it’s a tragic reminder of the violence LGBTQ communities around the world experience every single day, as well as how far we still have to go in the fight for equality.
SumOfUs exists to hold corporations to account, and we usually ask you to take action to stop corporate abuses of power. This email is different. Yes, last weekend’s shooting was made possible in part because large corporate retailers sell the type of military-grade assault rifles used in these shootings. Yes, the shooter used a weapon of mass murder, and it was incredibly easy to obtain.
But before we tackle the abuses of corporate power complicit in the Pulse shooting, we need time to mourn. To feel for the lives lost. For the 49 people who were murdered because of who they love.
For now, we simply want to hold space for the lives that were taken, and ask you to show your support if you can. Here’s how you can help:
Make a financial donation:
- Equality Florida’s GoFundMe Campaign: donate to the families affected by the shooting;
- The Center Orlando’s GoFundMe Campaign: providing a crisis services in the Orlando area and raising money for the affected families;
- Southerners on New Ground: Queer Liberation organization made up of LGBTQ people of color, immigrants, and other marginalized communities in the South (US);
- International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association: a worldwide federation of 1,200 member organisations from 125 countries campaigning for LBGT rights;
- International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex Youth & Student Organisation: a pan European capacity-building and youth empowerment network;
- The Trevor Project: US organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ young people.
Attend an event:
Find resources:
This issue hits so close to home because the world tells LGBTQ people and people of color that their lives are not important. Despite celebrating in so many countries that love has won and marriage equality is a reality, politicians and preachers of hate create a world in which taking LGBTQ lives in cold blood is not only possible but justifiable.
That’s why coming together today to stand against hate and for our right to love whoever we want is so valuable and crucial for our movement.
Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34
Stanley Almodovar III, 23
Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, 20
Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22
Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36
Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22
Luis S. Vielma, 22
Kimberly Morris, 37
Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30
Darryl Roman Burt II, 29
Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32
Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21
Anthony Luis Laureano Disla, 25
Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35
Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez, 50
Amanda Alvear, 25
Martin Benitez Torres, 33
Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37
Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26
Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35
Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, 25
Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez, 31
Oscar A Aracena-Montero, 26
Enrique L. Rios, Jr., 25
Miguel Angel Honorato, 30
Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40
Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32
Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19
Cory James Connell, 21
Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, 37
Luis Daniel Conde, 39
Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33
Juan Chevez-Martinez, 25
Jerald Arthur Wright, 31
Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25
Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25
Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega, 24
Jean C. Nives Rodriguez, 27
Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33
Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, 49
Yilmary Rodriguez Sulivan, 24
Christopher Andrew Leinonen, 32
Angel L. Candelario-Padro, 28
Frank Hernandez, 27
Paul Terrell Henry, 41
Antonio Davon Brown, 29
Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24
Akyra Monet Murray, 18
Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez, 25
May you rest in power.
The whole team at SumOfUs
More Information:
Worst Mass Shooting in Modern US History Takes Place at Orlando Gay Club on Latino-Themed Night, ReMezcla June 12, 2016
Latinx LGBTQ Community & Its Stories of Survival Should Be at Center of Orlando Response Democracy Now, June 14 2016
The AR-15 is the gun of choice for mass shootings and it’s easier to buy in Florida than a pistol, Quartz, June 12th, 2016
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