Statement from Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David on White House Signing of National Pulse Memorial Legislation

by Wyatt Ronan

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Below is a statement from Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David on President Joe Biden’s signing into law the Pulse National Memorial bill, which will honor and remember the victims and survivors of the Pulse Nightclub massacre by designating the space a national memorial:

On June 12, 2016, 107 lives — largely Black and Latinx — were violently altered by a horrifying act of hate during a celebratory moment of LGBTQ identity and joy. This moment of tragic loss serves as a painful reminder of the danger LGBTQ people across the country face every single day, and we must ensure that our nation preserves the memory of the 49 lives cut short.

The Human Rights Campaign proudly supports President Joe Biden’s signage of H.R. 49, legislation that will designate Pulse nightclub as a national memorial. This is an important first step in honoring the unrealized lives of the victims. We are committed to a continued fight for adequate protections of LGBTQ people and urge Congress to pass common sense gun violence prevention measures to prevent future tragedies.

For far too long, LGBTQ people have been a target of anti-LGBTQ-motivated murder, assault, and discrimination — especially our trans and non-binary family — with gun violence. Federal action must be taken to actively combat this epidemic. We must honor the lives lost with action.

Alphonso David, Human Rights Campaign President

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