Over 80 percent of the victims in the Orlando, Florida terrorist attack and massacre were people of color, mostly Latino of Cuban, Puerto Rican and Mexican descent.
This coming Saturday, July 9 at 6 p.m., at St. Pauls’ Episcopal Cathedral (2728 Sixth Ave. in Hillcrest) over 50 San Diego Latino and Latina organizations will be sponsoring and hosting a memorial event: Somos Una Gent, We Are One People. This indeed will be a historic event, even more so with some very special guests who will be attending and speaking: the Rt. Reverend Robert McElroy, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego, and the Rt. Reverend James Mathes, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese. Marcela Celorio, Mexico’s new Consul General in San Diego will also be speaking at the event representing the Mexican government.
Among the sponsors of this July 9 event are: Chicano Federation, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; San Diego La Raza Lawyers; Cesar Chavez Service Clubs; La Voz De San Diego; Hispanas Organized For Political Equality; The San Diego LGBT Community Center; Nicole Murray Ramirez; Latino Services, The San Diego LGBT Community Center; The Honorable Juan Vargas, U.S. Congress; The Honorable Chula Vista Mayor Mary Salas; The Honorable Lorena Gonzales, Calif. State Assemblymember; The Honorable David Alvarez, San Diego City Council member; San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s LGBT Advisory Board; Border Angels and many more.
This Saturday’s event will include music and Latino youth/student’s participation. I have had the honor to have been asked to speak along with the two bishops, David Valladolid, (Past President, Chicano Federation), and Dr. Guadalupe Corona. I have been attending this event’s organizing meetings and to see so many San Diego mainstream Latino organizations and leaders in attendance and witness important long-overdue dialogue between the Latino and LGBT communities has been heartwarming.
The attendance of San Diego’s newly installed Catholic Bishop Robert McElroy is especially historic as is his statement on the Orlando attack; his outreach and compassion for the LGBT community has touched many of us gay Catholic’s hearts, and given us hope of a better relationship with the San Diego Catholic Diocese. As many of you know, Pope Francis recently stated that the Catholic Church should ask for forgiveness from the LGBT community; all we want is to also be treated as children of God.
The San Diego Episcopal Diocese, Bishop Mathes and especially the Very Reverend Penny Bridges and St Paul’s Cathedral have once again come forward and extended its hand and love to the LGBT and Latino communities by doing all they can to make this historic event a success.
Among San Diego LGBT Latino activists involved in the organizing of this event are Larry Baza, Carolina Ramos, Fernando Lopez, Alberto Cortes, Andrea Villa, former Mayor of Chula Vista Steve Padilla (first openly gay Latino official elected in San Diego County) and Gloria Cruz.
The entire LGBT community is cordially invited to this Saturday’s event; the Latino community and all San Diegans are invited to attend and are welcome.
For me personally, as a Latino, Catholic, gay man, this coming together of the LGBT, Latino and religious communities will be a very moving and wonderful moment in my over 45 years of social justice activism, and I am so honored to be a part of this. See you Saturday!
