49 Celebrities Honor Orlando Shooting Victims With Touching Video Tribute
49 celebrities have banded together in conjunction with the Human Rights Campaign and director Ryan Murphy to create a moving video honoring the 49 victims of the tragic Orlando nightclub shooting that took place less than three weeks ago.
Stars like Lady Gaga, Colton Haynes, Kerry Washington, Matt Bomer, Lea Michele, Caitlyn Jenner and more contributed to the video, with each celebrity naming an individual victim and telling their story. Directed by Ryan Murphy and Ned Matel, the video's main intent is to shift the focus from the gunman to the people who lost their lives, and memorialize them.
"For too long, a toxic combination of anti-LGBTQ hate and easy access to guns has put LGBTQ people at disproportionate risk of violence and murder,” says the video’s YouTube bio. "On June 12, forty-nine innocent people -- most of them Latinx -- were killed at Pulse nightclub in Orlando simply because of who they were. It's on all of us to keep their memories alive, and to ensure part of their legacy becomes meaningful action to end hate violence. Join the Human Rights Campaign and urge your legislator to support legislation that will ensure LGBTQ people are safe and equal in every community and find out how to support the survivors and families of the Orlando victims."
Ryan Murphy also released a statement about the video to USA Today, which reads, "The hate that stole these 49 individuals from all those who loved them has been allowed to flourish in our country for too long.
"No person is born hating another, and we have an obligation as Americans to stand up against prejudice and bigotry that would incite violence against someone simply for who they are," his statement continued. "I am proud to have joined with Ned Martel, my talented colleagues, and the Human Rights Campaign to honor these 49 heroes and stop the hate.”
Watch the moving video tribute above, and visit the Stop The Hate website to learn more about donating to the survivors and families of the Orlando victims.