Puerto Rico has unveiled its first LGBT monument, which also serves as a memorial to the 49 victims of the June 12 massacre at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub. Most of the people killed were LGBT and Latino, and a majority of the victims were of Puerto Rican descent. At the base of the monument is a plaque highlighting the names of the 23 Puerto Rican victims killed in the massacre, with the additional 26 victims listed below.
Alongside the names, Spanish text reads:
“This tribute to life strengthens our commitment to fight hate — the product of homophobia — with love and respect. Our slogan resounds in all our hearts: Love is love, is love, is love…”
The final phrase appears to be a reference to Puerto Rican playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda’s speech at the 2016 Tony Awards, just hours after the Pulse shooting, where the straight artist performed a powerful sonnet he had written for the victims of the massacre.
The monument was unveiled during the city’s well-attended LGBT Pride celebration, where thousands gathered to march and celebrate — and remember those lost in the Pulse shooting.
The monument’s dedication took place almost exactly one year after a federal judge in Puerto Rico first ruled in favor of marriage equality. Although an anti-equality judge in Puerto Rico tried to halt that ruling, a federal appeals court determined in April that the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which brought marriage equality to all 50 states, was also binding in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States.
Que este homenaje a la vida, refuerce nuestro compromiso de combatir el odio- producto de la homofobia- con el amor y el respeto. Que nuestra consigna retumbe en todos los corazones: Amor es Amor, es Amor, es Amor…
Inauguran primer monumento a la lucha gay en Puerto Rico
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