Never Forgotten.
a tribute to Orlando
J
une 12, 2016. Forty-nine lives were lost that day and dozens more were injured in a senseless hate crime against the LGBTQA community, marking the most deadly shooting in U.S. history. As we continue to grieve our lost brothers and sisters, we mobilize and rise-up to conquer hate. We stand united to take on homophobia in the most fierce way possible. We arm ourselves with advocacy, solidarity, truth, and most importantly, love. We honor the lives that were and their legacy that has been left behind. We will not forget. We will not be defeated. We owe it to ourselves. We owe it to them.
partner Oscar A. Aracena-Montero. Both were killed at Pulse. The couple stopped to see Niagara Falls.
the two, to be side-by-side, when loved ones bid farewell to them,” according to Time Magazine online.
Oscar was a business student. He had returned home from a Canadian vacation with his partner, Simón Adrián Carrillo Fernández, who also perished at Pulse. They chose 3 Chihuahuas to liven up the house they bought together.
Drew was a mental health therapist and the recipient of the Anna Frank Award for his fight for LGBT rights. Known as a film buff, Drew met his soulmate, Juan Ramón Guerrero, a couple of years ago. His mother pleaded for her son’s safe return before learning of his both deaths.Their families decided to have a side-by-side funeral.
Stanley Almodovar III, 23, Massachusetts
Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32, South Carolina
Stanley pushed hurt people out of harm’s way during the shooting. The pharmaceutical technician once proclaimed: “I wear make-up and I’m still a man about it tho,” and “pharmacy is my talent, drug life chose me.”
Oscar A. Aracena-Montero, 26, Dominican Republic
Juan Pablo Rivera Velazquez, 37, Puerto Rico
Juan owned Alta Peluqueria D’Magazine in Kissimmee with his boyfriend Luis Daniel Conde (also a victim). They were together 16 years. The salon would often provide free services to women who had been victims of domestic violence.
Luis Daniel Conde, 39, Puerto Rico
A make-up artist, Luis was enjoying the night at Pulse with his partner of 16 years, Juan Pablo Rivera Velazquez, while they celebrated a friend’s birthday.
Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25, North Carolina
Tevin was a business owner of his own Michigan-based Marketing Firm called Total Entrepreneurs Concepts, TEC, a reflection of his initials. His firm employed 20 people. He inspired ambition among his colleagues by using motivational memes and the hashtag #LoveMyTeam.
Anthony Luis Laureano Disla, 25, Puerto Rico Anthony’s drag queen name was Alanis Laurell. He almost finished his communication degree at Sagrado Corazón Univ. in PR, but instead moved to Orlando to start a career in dancing to become a choreographer.
Dee Dee, as she was known, was working at Pulse the night of the shooting. She was trying to turn her life around from drug addiction. The NY Daily News reported she has a 3-year-old son.
Leroy Valentín Fernández, 25, Puerto Rico
Antonio Davon Brown, 29, Oklahoma
Leroy moved to Orlando to care for his mother. He was an apartment leasing agent. Roy, the nickname he went by on FB, loved Adele and choreographed original drag routines, with many set to Beyoncé and J-Lo tracks. Prior to his death at Pulse, Roy posted a motivational message: “Blessed Sunday everyone! Life is too short to be mad. #echapalante #dontworrybehappy.” “Echa pa’ lante” means move forward in Spanish.
Darryl Roman Burt II, 29, Virginia
Amanda was at Pulse with her best friend, Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26. Neither woman survived. She had lost 180 pounds in the last 2 years through surgery and exercise. She worked as a pharmacy technician. She planned to be a nurse.
Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33, Puerto Rico
Rodolfo worked as a Biologics Assistant at One Blood Donation Center and had recently been promoted to platelet supervisor. He was a skilled salsa dancer and a prankster, according to media reports. He studied Human Resources at the Inter American University in San German. A Florida A&M alumnus, Antonio handled the HR Department at a Lowe’s store. He was an R.O.T.C. officer who served a year-long tour of duty in Kuwait. In 2012, the U.S. Army Reserve awarded him the rank of Captain. Darryl was a financial aid officer a Keiser University. He had just completed his Master’s in HR management and was celebrating his accomplishment at Pulse.
Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega, 24, Puerto Rico Jonathan was the Assistant Producer of “La Voz Kids,” Telemundo’s singing competition show for young viewers. Investigators said he died standing between the shooter and his friend Yilmary, who was the mother of a newborn and also died at Pulse.
Ángel Luis Candelario-Padro, 28, Puerto Rico Ángel had recently moved from Chicago to Orlando, finding a job at the Florida Retina Institute, a couple of days before the shooting. He moved to Fla. looking for a less-crime ridden place.
Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, 20, Puerto Rico
Luis worked at Target and Starbucks while trying to become a professional dancer and actor. An aspiring performer, Luis, had big Hollywood dreams.
Simón Adrián Carrillo Fernández, 31, Venezuela Simón went by Simon A. Carrillo on FB. He brought his colleagues’ cakes on their birthdays. He had just traveled from Canada with his
Amanda Alvear, 25, Florida
Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26, New York
Mercedez moved to Fla. to study literature at Valencia College. She loved music and wanted to become a party planner. She went to Pulse with best friend Amanda Alvear. Both died at the nightclub. “It’s not fair that such a horrible act of hate took the life of such a beautiful soul,” her father, César Flores, said to a local TV station.
Peter “Ommy” González-Cruz, 22, Puerto Rico
Peter called himself Peter Ommy and worked for UPS. He was the life of the party. His aunt said: “If Peter is not at the party, no one wants to go.” Peter Ommy went to Pulse with his best friend, Gilberto Ramon Silva Menéndez. Both died in the attack.
Gilberto Ramón Silva Menéndez, 25, Puerto Rico
Gilberto was an only child. He was studying health care management at the Ana G. Méndez University System. The dog show community saluted him as “one of our own.” His favorite breed was a Saint Bernard. His roommate, Peter Ommy González Cruz, also perished at Pulse.
Juan Ramón Guerrero, 22
Juan came out to his family not long ago. He went to Pulse with his boyfriend Christopher “Drew” Leinonen, 32. They had spoken about getting married already. They had a joint funeral. “The Family wanted
Christopher “Drew” Leinonen, 32, Michigan
Paul Terrell Henry, 41, Chicago
Paul could play the piano and the organ without ever having an actual lesson. He was proud that one of his two daughters had recently earned her HS diploma. He is remembered by his boyfriend, Francisco Hernández, as a loving, genuine man, excellent at pool. “I miss him. I love him,” Francisco told The Orlando Sentinel.
Frankie Hernández aka Frank Escalante, 27, Texas
Frankie managed a Calvin Klein Outlet store and loved living there because he felt accepted; he told his family, according to The Orlando Sentinel. He loved showing a tattoo on his right bicep that read “Love has no gender.” He was at Pulse with his boyfriend, Brett Rigas, who survived the massacre, reported The Tampa Bay Times.
Miguel Ángel Honorato, 30, México
Miguel came to the U.S. at age 4, and worked for as the manager of a Mexican catering company in Orlando. He leaves behind 3 sons ages 15, 2 and 1. He was a huge soccer fan.
Presenting Sponsors Founded in 1818 and based in Boston, Eastern Bank is the largest and oldest mutual bank in the United States, with $9.9 billion in assets and nearly 100 branches serving communities in eastern Massachusetts and southern and coastal New Hampshire. Eastern Bank offers banking, investments and insurance all under one roof, and prides itself on working harder to understand its customers’ needs so it can deliver these services in a committed and personal way. Eastern Bank, which includes Eastern Wealth Management and Eastern Insurance, is a recognized leader in corporate social responsibility and for its advocacy on behalf of a number of social justice causes. For more information, visit: www.easternbank.com, www.facebook.com/easternbank or www.twitter.com/easternbank. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care is a not-for-profit health services company that, along with its subsidiaries, is improving the well-being of its 2.7 million customers. Harvard Pilgrim’s flagship health plans in New England provide health coverage to 1.3 million members, while another 1.4 million individuals are served through Health Plans, Inc., a subsidiary that provides integrated care management, health coaching and plan administration solutions to self-funded employers nationwide. Founded in 1969, Harvard Pilgrim has built its reputation on innovation and collaboration with a goal of lowering health care costs, improving care and enhancing the overall member experience. It is known for its excellent clinical programs, customer service, health improvement strategies and innovative tools that offer consumers greater transparency and empower them to make better decisions about their health care. Harvard Pilgrim’s mission is improve the quality and value of health care for the people and communities we serve. Award winning, The Rainbow Times is the largest LGBTQ pop culture newspaper in New England that increases awareness of today’s issues. Acclaimed as the most popular publication throughout the region, The Rainbow Times serves as a vehicle to unify and strengthen the diverse communities in New England and beyond. Boasting a monthly readership of 75,000, The Rainbow Times is based in Boston. ISSN 2169-6136 (online) and ISSN 2169-6128 (print).
Never Forgotten.
#WeAreOrlando
June 12, 2016 Edward Sotomayor Jr.
Jean Carlos Mendez Perez Age 35
Mercedez Marisol Flores
AMANDA ALVEAR
age 34
Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo Age 20
Antonio Davon Brown
Age 26
age 29
Luis Daniel Conde
age 25
Age 39
Cory James Connell age 21
kj morris age 37
Jean C. Nieves Rodriguez age 27
Shane Evan Tomlinson age 33
Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan age 24
Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz Age 22
Enrique L. Rios Jr Tevin Eugene Crosby age 25
Paul Terrell Henry age 41
Age 25
Juan Ramon Guerrero & Christopher Andrew Leinonen
Age 22 & age 32, respectively
Oscar A Aracena-Montero & Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez
Age 26 & age 31, respectively
Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega Age 24
Miguel Angel Honorato Age 30
Darryl Roman Burt II age 29
Juan ChevezMartinez age 25
Jerald Arthur Wright age 31
geraldo a. ortiz jimenez age 25
Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon Age 37
Luis S. Vielma Age 22
Joel Rayon Paniagua Age 32
Angel L. age 28 Candelario-Padro
Jason Benjamin Josaphat Age 19
Brenda Lee Marquez McCool age 49
akyra monet murray
Age 18
Christopher Age 24 Joseph Sanfeliz
Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado
age 35
Eddie Jamoldroy Justice age 30
Presenting Sponsors
Franky Jimmy age 50 Dejesus Velazquez
community supporters
Juan P. Rivera Velazquez age 37
Anthony Luis Laureano Disla
age 25
Stanley Manolo Almodovar III
age 23
Photos: Facebook
Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera
Martin Benitez Torres Age 33
Frank Hernandez Age 27
Age 36
DEONKA DEIDRA (Dee Dee) DRAYTON
Age 32
Javier Jorge-Reyes age 40
Alejandro Barrios Martinez age 21
Leroy Valentin Fernandez
age 25
Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala
Age 33
Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez Age 25
Nunca olvidados.
tributo para orlando
Franky “Jimmy” De Jesus Velázquez, 50, Puerto Rico
Jimmy was the oldest victim killed at Pulse. He worked as a Visual Merchandiser at Forever 21. Jimmy joked that he was older than the demographic. In his younger age, he traveled the world as a performance “Jíbaro” dancer, derived from a typical Puerto Rican folk dance.
Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40, Puerto Rico
Javier, went by his re-imagined name Harvey George-Kings on FB, an English translation of his name. He was style-conscious, customeroriented and a natural in sales at Gucci at the Mall at Millenia. Friends knew him as “Javi” and on Facebook recalled his smile, sass and energy.
Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19, Arizona
Jason loved photography, hip-hop dance and gymnastics. He was studying computer science at Valencia College. He was one of the few victims who was able to contact his mother after the shooting started at Pulse, Orlando.
Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30, Florida
Eddie was an accountant who spent his last hour texting his mother. He texted Mina Justice: “Mommy, I love you,” at 2:06 a.m. His last text, sent almost half-hour later read: “He’s coming. I’m gonna die.”
Alejandro Barrios Martínez, 21, Cuba
Alejandro moved to Fla. within 2 years. He left his native Cuba in 2014 and was still perfecting his English at the time of his sudden
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death. His mother was granted a humanitarian visa, through a letter to the new U.S. Embassy in Havana, to reclaim Alejandro’s body. He loved to talk.
Juan Chávez-Martínez, 25, México
Juan was described as a very kind housekeeping supervisor and dedicated worker. He was one of three Mexican citizens who died at Pulse. He was later honored by Mexico’s government.
Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, 49, New York
Brenda was a mother of 11, and a two-time Cancer survivor who died saving her son Isaiah, 21, during the shooting at Pulse. She was there supporting him. Brenda loved salsa dancing and often posted positive words to greet her FB friends in the morning. On June 9 she posted: “Every journey has an ending, and every ending is a new beginning!”
KJ Morris, 37, Connecticut
KJ loved drag performances. Her performance name “Daddy K” was well known in Western Mass. where she lived for over 14 years. She was the founder of Northampton’s drag king troupe the “King St. Boiz.” “I knew I wanted to get together a good drag king performance that would put Northampton and western Mass on the map,” KJ told The Rainbow Times in the troupe’s first interview in 2007. KJ was a “go getter.” She moved to Orlando two months prior to the shooting, to care for her mother and grandmother. She was a bouncer at Pulse for a couple of weeks before the shooting took place. She loved college basketball and MMA fights.
Akyra Monet Murray, 18, Pennsylvania
Akyra was the youngest victim at Pulse. She was on vacation after graduation from a Philadelphia Catholic High School. She was third in her class. Akyra led the ladies Spurs basketball team with more than 1,000 points, which earned her a full basketball scholarship to attend Mercyhurst College in Erie, PA.
Geraldo Ortiz-Jimenez, 25, Dominican Republic Geraldo went by Drake on FB, traveled from PR to Orlando to see his pop idol, Selena Gomez, perform in concert the night before the shooting. He posted prior to the shooting: “We only have ONE LIFE! Let’s take advantage of it strongly until the day we die.” He loved to be in good shape, going to the gym five days a week. He was looking forward to his birthday in July.
Joel Rayón Paniagua, 32, México
Joel lived in Fla. for six years, worked as a construction worker and sent portions of his paycheck home to relatives in Mexico. He was a loyal churchgoer that came to the U.S. because his cousin said there was a lot of crime, violence, and death where he grew up.
Enrique L. Rios, Jr., 25, New York
He was in Orlando vacationing to celebrate a good friend’s birthday. Enrique lived with his grandmother in NY. He was a social worker for True Care Home Health Care for Elder Care.
Eric Iván Ortiz-Rivera, 36, Puerto Rico
Eric didn’t like the club scene much, but went to Pulse when a group of Puerto Rican friends had a celebration there. He was a generous person and lived in downtown Orlando. He is survived by his husband of one year.
Jean Carlos Nieves Rodriguez, 27, Puerto Rico
Jean Carlos was a hard worker, starting at McDonald’s at age 15. He had just bought his own house a month ago to give his mother a nice place to live. Jean Carlos loved to escape to the beach.
Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35, Puerto Rico
Xavier moved from PR 10 years ago and was a professional salsa dancer at Walt Disney World and online cruises. He has a 5-year-old son and consistently got jobs that would give him time for raising his boy.
Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24, Cuba
Christopher worked at JP Morgan Chase and loved to salsa dance and work out. He once wrote on FB, “Always get a lil nervous on the first date, wish me luck.” #nervous
Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, 24, Puerto Rico
Known to her friends and family as Mary, she was a mother of two young sons, the youngest only three months old. She steered everyone to a gay club, to avoid the kind of violence that had recently occurred at another local club. She was married to race-car driver Juan Borges. Yilmary was out at Pulse with Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega (another victim), and her brother-in-law and survivor William Sabad Borges, when the shooting occurred.
Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34, Puerto Rico
“Top Hat Eddie,” as many knew Eddie, coordinated the first-ever gay cruise to Cuba. He was a renowned figure in LGBT travel and the national brand manager for LGBT Specialist Company Al and Chuck Travel. His “Top Hat Eddie” nickname came to be because of the black hats he wore at events and while traveling to stand out in a crowd. Eddie leaves behind a legacy of inclusivity and promoting the idea that travel fosters awareness. He was at Pulse on Sunday for LatinX Night with his partner, Luis Rojas. The couple was texting and Eddie instructed Luis to leave and wait at the house. Eddie told him that he was hiding and safe. His phrase was always: “We cannot be afraid.” Many friends have tattooed a graphic of a hat to remember Eddie.
Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33, North Carolina
Shane was a talented singer. He was the lead singer of his band, Frequency. Prior to going to Pulse that night, Shane posted on FB about his own anxiety after another performer, Christina Grimmie of “The Voice,” who was gunned down in Orlando the night before.
Martín Benítez Torres, 33, Puerto Rico
Martín was a student at the Tampa campus of Ana G. Méndez University System. He went to Orlando to visit some of his family members. He was at Pulse with his boyfriend and survivor, Michael Morales. One of his latest posts online read: “Today I am a man of goodness, a fighter, giving everything without expecting anything back, willing to fly high.” His Facebook cover photo reads in Spanish: “If God takes away my eyesight, it’s because I’ve been allowed to see everything that’s beautiful in the world.”
Luis S. Vielma, 22, Florida
Working to get a degree as an EMT first responder, Luis was a Mexican-American and a huge Harry Potter fan who worked at Universal Studios Orlando. J.K. Rowling, the famous author, sent a Tweet lamenting his passing; she said “she couldn’t stop crying.”
Luis Daniel Wilson-León, 37, Puerto Rico
Luis Daniel loved to wear black & faced much bullying for being gay in PR. He didn’t know English when he moved to Fla. He went to Pulse with boyfriend Jean Carlos Méndez Pérez (they met at Perfumania). The fragrance that started the romance was called “Declaration” by Cartier.
Jean Carlos Méndez Pérez, 35, Puerto Rico
Jean Carlos was the best salesman at a Perfumania. He died along his boyfriend, Luis Daniel Wilson-León. They had been together for eight years.
Jerald Arthur Wright, 31, Ecuador
Jerald worked at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. He was at Pulse celebrating Cory James Connell’s 21st birthday, who was also killed in the shooting. He loved both cats and dogs. His dog’s name was Rusty. His quiet and kind personality suited his Disney workplace, where he was assigned a position on Main St. in the Magic Kingdom.
Cory James Connell, 21, Florida
Cory was celebrating his 21st birthday at Pulse, Orlando. He was studying at Valencia College while he also worked at Publix; His goal: to be a firefighter. After his death; fire officials made him an honorary firefighter.
we are one love. one pulse. one orlando.
one.