Orlando massacre brings Latino, LGBT communities together

Mourners attend a candlelight vigil in front of the Dr. P. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Orlando, Fa., Monday, June 13, 2016. Vigils, rallies and marches are being held around the country Monday for the victims of early Sunday’s deadly attack at a gay nightclub in Orlando. (Loren Elliott/Tampa Bay Times via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT Mourners attend a candlelight vigil in front of the Dr. P. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Orlando, Fa., Monday, June 13, 2016. Vigils, rallies and marches are being held around the country Monday for the victims of early Sunday’s deadly attack at a gay nightclub in Orlando. (Loren Elliott/Tampa Bay Times via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

By Associated Press June 14, 2016 5 min read

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – When the names of the victims in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history are read aloud at memorials around the world, the surnames stand out:

Martinez.

Fernandez.

Guerrero.

Most of the 49 people shot and killed were Hispanic, and the tragedy has left Florida’s Latino community heartbroken over the loss of young lives. Many were also gay – which means that Saturday evening at Pulse was the fateful intersection of two tight-knit communities, ones that have existed until recently on the fringes of central Florida’s society.