A memorial made of six mosaic columns, each representing a stripe in the Rainbow LGBTQ flag, was dedicated to the victims of the shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando that killed 49, 23 of whom were Puerto Rican. The memorial was inaugurated on Sunday (June 26) at the entrance of the park, Parque del Tercer Milenio, in old San Juan during the capital’s 26th annual Pride parade.
According to Univision, the monument includes the names of the victims and a quote that reads: “May this tribute to life reinforce our commitment to combat hate and homophobia with love and respect. May our slogan resound in all hearts: Love is love is love is love…”
San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz said, “We have to work together to eradicate discrimination and homophobia. We have to raise our voice for justice and equality. We have to aspire to be a country where we are equals and not judged for who we love.”
La alcaldesa de SJ @CarmenYulinCruz inaugura monumento dedicado a las 49 víctimas de masacre en #Orlando @Metro_PR pic.twitter.com/rSgrNVQUDL
— David CorderoMercado (@David_cmercado) June 26, 2016
San Juan's mayor @CarmenYulinCruz inaugurates monument to remember the 49 #Orlando victims during #GayPride #LGBT pic.twitter.com/uVOsYj5HtW
— LGBT Puerto Rico (@lgbtpr) June 26, 2016
"May this tribute to life strengthen our will to combat hate w/ love."First monument for Orlando victims,San Juan,PR pic.twitter.com/Ziw20fguKc
— Carla M Berrios Cruz (@CarlaMBerrios) June 27, 2016
Featured Image by David Romero Mercado.