Remembering Orlando One Year Later

It's hard to believe the shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando was a year ago. My heart breaks every time I think of all the people that lost their lives purely based on hate. This is a somber reminder of how far we have to go to fight towards equality. We will not forget these victims:

Stanley Almodovar III, 23 years old
Amanda L. Alvear, 25 years old
Oscar A. Aracena Montero, 26 years old
Rodolfo Ayala Ayala, 33 years old
Antonio Davon Brown, 29 years old
Darryl Roman Burt II, 29 years old
Angel Candelario-Padro, 28 years old
Juan Chavez Martinez, 25 years old
Luis Daniel Conde, 39 years old
Cory James Connell, 21 years old
Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25 years old
Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32 years old
Simón Adrian Carrillo Fernández, 31 years old
Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25 years old
Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26 years old
Peter Ommy Gonzalez Cruz, 22 years old
Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22 years old
Paul Terrell Henry, 41 years old
Frank Hernandez, 27 years old
Miguel Angel Honorato, 30 years old
Javier Jorge Reyes, 40 years old
Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19 years old
 Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30 years old
Anthony Luis Laureano Disla, 25 years old
Christopher Andrew Leinonen, 32 years old
Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21 years old
Brenda Marquez McCool, 49 years old
Gilberto R. Silva Menendez, 25 years old
Kimberly Jean Morris, 37 years old
Akyra Monet Murray, 18 years old
Luis Omar Ocasio Capo, 20 years old
Geraldo A. Ortiz Jimenez, 25 years old
Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36 years old
Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32 years old
Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35 years old
Enrique L. Rios, Jr., 25 years old
Jean Carlos Nieves Rodríguez, 27 years old
Xavier Emmanuel Serrano-Rosado, 35 years old
Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24 years old
Yilmary Rodríguez Solivan, 24 years old
Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34 years old
Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33 years old
Martin Benitez Torres, 33 years old
Jonathan A. Camuy Vega, 24 years old
Juan Pablo Rivera Velázquez, 37 years old
Luis Sergio Vielma, 22 years old
Franky Jimmy DeJesus Velázquez, 50 years old
Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37 years old
Jerald Arthur Wright, 31 years old
keep reading

Orlando Soccer Stadium Honours Victims

The Orlando City Soccer club put these seats in their stadium to honour the 49 victims of the shooting at the Pulse night Club. Each seat has #OrlandoUnited written on it. This is beautiful.
keep reading

Andrea Gibson & Mary Lambert Sing Orlando

This is absolutely gut wrenching but it's beautifully done and I can't help but cry. Andrea Gibson and Mary Lambert capture perfectly the emotions of the horrific shooting in Orlando.
keep reading

Coeur De Pirate Comes Out

 Beatrice Martin aka Coeur De Pirate, is an amazing singer from Montreal.  She was deeply disturbed by the Orlando shooting and decided to officially come out.  She writes a beautiful letter that talks about being rejected by a girl and deciding to try and be heterosexual.  She married in 2012 and after the birth of her child she could no longer live like a fraud.  These types of stories are so important.

"I'm coming out for my daughter who needs to learn that love knows no race, religion, gender or orientation... I'm coming out for the victims that lost their lives because they wanted to celebrate who they truly were".

keep reading

Orlando Gay Bar Shooting

 I woke up to hear the devastating news of the mass shooting in Orlando.  A lone gunman entered Pulse, a gay bar and opened fire.  He killed over 50 people and sent even more to the hospital.  He shot at police and was finally taken down.  I can't imagine the horror that everyone involved went through.  Those will be images burnt into their minds that will haunt them forever.  Of course now they are naming the shooter and stating he was an Islamic extremist.  He acted out of hate, pure and simple, regardless of what religion he claimed to support.  We need to come together with love and not spread further hate.

keep reading

New Disney President Gay

George Kalogridis has a long history with Disney and began his career as a busboy for a restaurant in the Park in Orlando in 1971 when it opened.  Looks like his career choice has paid off as he is named the new president.  He has been with his partner Andy Hardy for the past twelve years and they are going to be moving into a house on the edge of the Disney resort.
keep reading