Yesterday, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) released a powerful video. It features 49 different celebrities honoring the Orlando victims who died during the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub on June 12, 2016. Each celebrity read a name, their age, and told a small part of the victim’s story. It was directed by Emmy Award Winner Ryan Murphy with the support of his colleagues at Ryan Murphy Television.
The video can be found on the Human Rights Campaign’s Stop the Hate page, which says:
“For too long, a toxic combination of anti-LGBTQ hate and easy access to guns has put LGBTQ people at disproportionate risk of violence and murder. Now, the tragic killing of 49 innocent people on Latin Night at Pulse nightclub in Orlando — young lives taken solely because of who they were — has rocked our nation to its core.”
The Twitter hashtag #SayTheirNames challenges us all to stop spending so much time talking about the attacker and, instead, talk about the innocent people who lost their lives.
HRC President Chad Griffin said:
“We want to ensure that what we do is effective. It’s on all of us to know each and every one of them by name and for their legacies to, in part, spur change on important issues.”
Out Magazine features a slideshow about the victims so others can read more about them.
https://twitter.com/tomboydee/status/746837121965555712
Angela Basset said at the end of the video:
“I grew up in St. Petersburg, so it felt like this happened in my backyard. It’s horrible we have to do this, but it’s an honor.”
“Join me and the HRC to demand common sense laws to protect the LGBTQ community and all Americans from hate violence.”
Some people are actually celebrating this horrific massacre. Greg Giraldo blamed the victims for not “fighting back.”
The caption on the video says:
“For too long, a toxic combination of anti-LGBTQ hate and easy access to guns has put LGBTQ people at disproportionate risk of violence and murder. On June 12, forty-nine innocent people — most of them Latinx — were killed at Pulse nightclub in Orlando simply because of who they were. It’s on all of us to keep their memories alive, and to ensure part of their legacy becomes meaningful action to end hate violence.”
Here is one of our own writers, Kyle Neven, in front of the crosses dedicated to the victims in Orlando.
Featured image screengrab via YouTube
