Orlando victim’s homophobic father refused to claim body
Victim's father didn't want to claim his son's body "because he was gay"
“It was touch and go for one particular shooting victim whose father didn’t want to claim the body. Because the son was gay. Because the father was ashamed.”
—Orlando Latino, reporting on the aftermath of the shootings that left 49 dead and 53 injured last month. The publication has confirmed from “several sources” that one victim’s father refused to claim his son’s body because he was gay.
The victim, who was Puerto Rican, was eventually released to Orlando-area relatives, according to Orlando Latino. The name of the victim hasn’t been released, as they don’t want to “further victimize the deceased.”
“The tale is part of the untold stories of the Latino victims of the Pulse nightclub massacre,” the article reads.
The Latinx community was particularly affected by the shootings, with estimates putting the number of victims of Hispanic background at around 90%.
Actor Wilson Cruz lashed out at coverage of the wake of the attacks, accusing media of whitewashing the massacre.
“This wasn’t just a terrorist attack on this nation or specifically on LGBT people. It was a direct attack on LGBT Latinos,” Cruz said.
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