Orlando Massacre: Time for Healing and Coming Together (Latino Commission on Aids)

“More than 90 percent of the fatalities are young Latino LGBTQ, 23 from the Puerto Rican community, as well as many recent Latino immigrants and new arrivals who were battling discrimination, stigma, homophobia and transphobia in their places of origin. We are trying to come together to deal with the fear and consequences of this act. An attack of this magnitude ripples into every corner of Latino and LGBTQ communities. I call all of us to come together and work together to say no to hate speech, discrimination of any kind and to condemn any act of violence against anyone”-stated Guillermo Chacón, President of the Latino Commission on AIDS and founder of the Hispanic Health Network. “This is a moment where a call of action is needed to address transphobia and homophobia, to bring attention to the impact on the Latino community and many communities of color, and to move towards healing of our own communities. Now more than ever, it’s important that we be present at Pride events in localities throughout the nation to pay tribute to those we lost on 6/12.”

	Stanley Almodovar III, 23 Stanley would have been 24 this month. He worked as a pharmacy technician.
	Amanda Alvear, 25 Amanda was a fashonista who died with her close friend Mercedes Marisol Flores
	Oscar A Aracena-Montero, 26 Oscar lived with boyfriend and fellow victim Simon Fernandez at their home in Kissimmee with three chihuahuas and was also attending university. He and Fernandez had just returned from a trip to Niagara Falls.
	Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33 Rodolfo attended InterAmerican San German and worked as a biologics assistant at OneBlood.
	Antonio Davon Brown, 29 Captain Brown was a captain in the Army Reserve and a graduate of Florida A&M University. He served overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan.
	Darryl Roman Burt II, 29 Darryl worked as a financial aid officer at Keiser University.
	Angel Luis Candelario-Padro, 28 Angel Luis was an ophtalmic technician at the Florida Retina Institute. He also worked as a Zumba instructor.
	Juan Chevez-Martinez, 25 Martinez was a one of three Mexican nationals who died during the Pulse nightclub attack. He worked as a housekeeping supervisor for APDC Services.
	Luis Daniel Conde, 39 Luis died with his husband and business partner Juan Rivera. He was a makeup artist.
	Cory James Connell, 21 Cory was at Pulse with friends celebrating his birthday. His friend Jerald Wright was also killed that night. Cory worked at Publix and was studying sports journalism/broadcasting at Valencia Community College.
	Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25 Tevin owned his own marketing business. He was visiting the city and was out with friends when he was shot and killed.
	Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32 Deonka worked as a bartender at Pulse. She had a cruise booked in September.
	Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez, Simon was attending university along with his partner Oscar Aracena-Montero, who died with him at Pulse on Sunday. The pair had just purchased a house in Kissimmee.
	Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25 Leroy was at the club with Xavier Rosado who was also killed. The pair had started dating recently. Fernandez worked as a leasing agent, according to his Facebook profile.
	Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26 Mercedez went to the club with her friend Amanda Alvear, but neither woman survived. She studied literature at Valencia College in Orlando.
	Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22 Peter attended high school in New Jersey until 2013 and worked at UPS in Orlando.
	Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22 Juan Ramon was at Pulse with his boyfriend, Christopher, who was also killed. Juan Ramon was a telemarketer who came out to his family recently.
	Paul Terrell Henry, 41 Paul lived in Orlando and is survived by his two children.
	Frank Hernandez, 27 Frank had moved to Florida two years ago. He sported a tattoo that says “love has no gender.”
	Miguel Angel Honorato, 30 Miguel, a father of tree, went out with friends to celebrate at Pulse. He worked at FajitaMex Mexican Catering in Orlando and lived in Apopka.
	Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40 Javier worked at Gucci after leaving Guess, where he worked for almost 13 years.
	Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19 Jason was among the youngest victims. He recieved certificates for obtaining a 4.0 gpa at Southern Technical College where he studied to become an office specialist, according to his Facebook.
	Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30 Eddie sent his mother harrowing text messages in the moments before he was executed. “Mommy I love you,” read the first message. “In club they shooting.” He worked as an accountant.
	Anthony Luis Laureanodisla, 25 Antohy loved to dance. He studied communications at Universidad Del Sagrado Corazon in Puerto Rico but moved to Orlando before graduating to pursue his passion for dance.
	Christopher Andrew Leinonen, 32 Christopher died at the club with his boyfriend, Juan Guerrero.
	Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21 Alejandro, at just 21 years old, was among the youngest to die in the shooting. He was originally from Cuba.
	Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, 49 Brenda was at the club with her cousin and gay son when she was gunned down. She had survived both breast and bone cancer.
	Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, 25 Gilberto worked as a sales associate at Speedway. He studied healthcare management.
	Kimberly Morris, 37 Kim had just moved to Orlando and was working as a bouncer at Pulse. Her friend Roxy Heart wrote: “He stole her smile. He stole her life. He stole her laughter…”
	Akyra Monet Murray, 18 The youngest victim of the attack, Akyra was in Orlando on vacation celebrating her high school graduation with her family.
	Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, 20 Luis Omar worked at Target as a cashier and in the store’s Starbucks. He described himself on Facebook as a dancer.
	Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez, 25 Geraldo was originally from the Dominican Republic but later lived in Puerto Rico. He studied law at the Universidad Del Este in Carolina, Puerto Rico.
	Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36 Eric was originally from Puerto Rico. He worked in retail and had a bachelor’s degree in communications from Universidad Central de Bayamon, Puerto Rico.
	Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32 Rayon Paniagua worked day and night to send all his money back to his family in Mexico, his friend Norman Joel wrote on Facebook.
	Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35 Jean Carlos died with his longtime partner, Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, whom he wooed while working at Perfumania.
	Enrique L. Rios, Jr., 25 Enrique was a social worker from Brooklyn, NY. He obtained his degree from St. Francis College in Brooklyn.
	Jean Carlos Nieves Rodriguez, 27 Jean Carlos was a general manager at a check cashing business. He bought his first house a month and a half ago.
	Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35 Xavier is survived by a young son, according to his employer Splash Bar of Panama City Beach, Florida.
	Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24 Christopher was living in Tampa and worked at JPMorgan Chase. He graduated from Gaither High School in Tampa and went to Hillsborough Community College.
	Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, 24 It was Yilmary’s first time at the club and she was celebrating a visit from her brother-in-law. She was a mother of two.
	Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34 Edward was a world traveler who worked in a gay travel agency.
	Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33 Tomlinson was the front man of the band Frequency. He described himself on social media as a vocal arranger, singer, actor, model, and songwriter.
	Martin Benitez Torres, 33 Martin, who was from Puerto Rico, was visiting family when he was killed.
	Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega, 24 Jonathan moved from Puerto Rico to Orlando to work for the Telemundo show “La Voz Kids”.
	Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, 37 Juan was at Pulse with his husband, Luis Daniel Conde, with whom he went to high school in Puerto Rico and worked with at Alta Peluqueria D’Magazine Salon.
	Luis S. Vielma, 22 Luis S. Vielma worked at Universal Studios in Orlando as part of a team that ran the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey attraction.
	Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez, 50 Franky was the oldest person killed at Pulse. He worked as a visual merchandiser at Forever 21.
	Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37 Luis died with his boyfriend, Jean Carlos Perez. The pair had been together for around eight years.
	Jerald Arthur Wright, 31 Jerald worked at Disney World as a seasonal worker in the Magic Kingdom. He had a degree in hospitality management from Florida International University and also studied marketing at Northeastern University.

Note: The information of the victims has been taken from the Advocate.