THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

Vida/SIDA marched behind a float carrying this year's Paseo Boricua Cacica Queen, Cynthia Lee Fontaine. Fontaine, a former Ru Paul Drag Race contestant, was crowned by PRCC-Vida/SIDA at the organization's 9th annual coronation ceremony the previous evening.

Openly gay 35th Ward Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, Democratic state Senate candidate Omar Aquino and Chicago Commission on Human Relations Commissioner Mona Noriega were among the 100 people marching with Vida/SIDA's contingent. They carried pictures of a number of the Puerto Rican victims of the Orlando massacre and chanted "Orlando" as they marched down Division Street.

"We're here today in unity and solidarity in expressing our love and support for the victims of the Orlando massacre," said Ramirez-Rosa. "Twenty-three of the victims were Puerto Rican and I think it's important to understand the majority of hate crimes committed against the LGBTQ community target people of color. In the face of this tragedy we aren't going to allow our community to be divided, nor the victims to be forgotten."

Parade participants remember Orlando

According to estimates, about 90 percent of the victims in the mass slaying at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando were Latino. Twenty-three of those murdered were Puerto Rican.

Juan Calderon, chief operating officer of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center of Chicago was blunt in saying, "We've never seen such a massacre."

Previous to Orlando, the worst massacre in Puerto Rican history, following Spanish imperial rule, took place in Ponce in March, 1937, when 19 protestors and two policemen were killed in a rally that left 200 wounded.

"When you look at the deaths in Orlando, it is a larger number," Calderon said.

"This was something we could not ignore," added Roberto Sanabria, who sits on the board of the Cultural Center.

On June 19, members of Chicago's LGBT Puerto Rican community and their allies marched alongside the Cultural Center's float celebrating Paseo Boricua Cacica Queen, Cynthia Lee Fontaine, in the 2016 Puerto Rican People's Parade. The unit was organized by Sanabria. He called the parade float a "point of pride" for local LGBT Puerto Ricans because of the welcome reception the queen gets from the crowd each year. But this year there was extra meaning for participants, many of whom were devastated by the news from Orlando the week before.

Activist Evette Cardona marched in the parade with her wife, Commission on Human Relations Commissioner Mona Noriega. News of the Orlando incident struck Cardona "three times over," she said. "When I heard it was a gay nightclub, and Latin night, and then that many of the victims were Puerto Rican, I was devastated."

Cardona found the parade to be a "cathartic" moment, especially when the crowd began chanting, "Orlando! Orlando! Orlando!"

She added that, "It felt it was my total self marching in front of all those people. It felt good to be there. The reception we got was good. There was a lot of love and you could see a lot of tears. It seemed to hit a lot of people."

Julio Rodriguez, president of the Association for Latinos/as Motivating Action (ALMA) added, "Being Puerto Rican, I kind of grew up on that parade. It was something I did automatically as a kid. I hadn't marched in it for some time. In fact, the last time I marched was when ALMA first marched as a gay group."

Rodriguez admitted to some trepidation about marching at first, and his partner asked if he was really sure he wanted to do it.

"But I told him, 'It's more important than ever that we march and not be afraid to be out in our own community,'" Rodriguez said, adding that the nervousness lifted once he arrived at the parade and he was overwhelmed by a sense of security and homecoming. "I realized that I felt like I was home, and for me, 'home' is a place that's safe. I realized that if anything were to happen that day, we would have more allies than we knew what to do with."

For Rodriguez, the previous week was "a call to action. It's been a roller-coaster ride. The last time I was at vigils and memorials like this was the '80s. It really reminded me of those days."

Sanabria said, that, after the news of the shooting, "At first I just felt hopeless and down and out."

But after the idea of the expanded parade entry came up, "It helped me to heal, knowing that we were able to feel a sense of community so quickly," he added.

Activist Robert Castillo regretted he was unable to go to the parade. He said that, upon hearing the news of the shooting, he was emotionally torn: "I didn't know whether I wanted to curl up in a fetal position or march down the street with the biggest-effin' rainbow flag I can find."

Castillo hopes that, in the future, there will be some sort of forum or gathering wherein members of the LGBT Latino community can gather to discuss Orlando's impact and perhaps strategize about how to move forward. "It's about finding visibility, equality and being able to live in our community," he said, adding that it is also important to thoughtfully consider the best way to honor the Orlando victims.

Puerto Rican Cultural Center is starting the Orlando LGBTQ Solidarity Fund, to assist survivors and family members, according to Calderon. He said that it's important to remember that many of individuals left Puerto Rico because of dire financial circumstances there. "Those people are really going to need our help," he said.

He added that LGBT Latinos need advocates dedicated to speaking out about the community's perspectives and political goals.

"It's important for all persons of color to have representation within the LGBT community. We have five LGBT members of the city council, two of whom are Latino, which is good. But we need advocacy across the board. We need to identify and unify at all of our potential points of collaboration," said Calderon.

Rodriguez also looked forward to future possibilities for collaboration both within and outside of the community. "It's been a hard week, but a week filled with promise," he said.