Latino AIDS Commission Issues Open Letter To Gay Community In Puerto Rico

The City of New York stands in solidarity with you during the celebration of Puerto Rican Gay Pride and we join you in mourning the deaths of so many of our Puerto Rican Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) brothers and sisters.

Our communities and families include LGBT individuals who deserve our love and respect and who need our support to combat the homophobic and transphobic teachings engrained into our society. In times like these it is important that our communities be united as one voice and with our personal actions reject any type of homophobia, transphobia and discrimination.

We are one family and we must pursue the well-being, safety and happiness of all our members. We must address homophobia and transphobia head on by putting a stop to the jokes, slurs, discrimination and hatred faced by our LGBT brothers and sisters, not just in Puerto Rico but across the entire United States. Hatred and violence is never the answer.

Our thoughts, prayers and PRIDE are with you always.

New York State Senator Thomas K. Duane
Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC)
Latino Commission on AIDS
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
New York City Anti-Violence Project
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center
Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund

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ABOUT THE LATINO COMMISSION ON AIDS
The Latino Commission on AIDS (Commission) is a nonprofit membership organization founded in 1990 dedicated to fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Latino/Hispanic communities. The Commission is the leading national Latino AIDS organization coordinating National Latino AIDS Awareness Day and other prevention and advocacy programs across the United States and its territories. For more information visit: www.latinoaids.org or www.nlaad.org. UNIDOS PODEMOS / UNITED WE CAN