Puerto Rico has its first LGBT monument in the island’s history, which now is also a memorial to the victims of the Pulse shooting.
The monument is seven concrete pillars, each covered in colorful mosaics, and sits at the entrance of Sixto Escobar Stadium in San Juan’s Third Millennium Park, according to Noticel, a Puerto Rican publication.
A section of the monument lists the names of the 49 people who lost their lives at the Pulse shooting, highlighting the names of the 23 Puerto Rican victims.
Next to the names, written in Spanish, is the quote, “This tribute to life strengthens our commitment to fight hate — the product of homophobia — with love and respect. Our slogan resounds in all our hearts: Love is love, is love, is love…”
The sculpture, designed artist Alberto de la Cruz, is meant to commemorate the one year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage.
“We celebrate life,” said San Juan mayor Carmen Yulin at the monument’s inauguration. “We must work together to eradicate discrimination and homophobia. We must raise our voice for justice and equality of every human being. We must aspire to a country where everyone is equal and not be judged by how we love.”
