To honor the 49 lives taken during the Orlando Pulse gay nightclub shooting, Ryan Murphy and a giant group of celebrities have created a video eulogizing victims.
The touching tribute begins by stating a horrific fact we've all come to know well in the two weeks since Orlando: this was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. But it was also the deadliest attack on LGBTQ people.
Produced by Murphy, best known for his work on American Horror Story, the 18-minute Human Rights Campaign video features 49 celebrities saying the names and telling the stories of the 49 victims who didn't get to finish writing their stories. Celebrities include AHS alums such as Lady Gaga, figures from the music industry like Demi Lovato and Kid Cudi, in addition to Sofia Vergara and Laverne Cox.
The video's description says: "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. 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."
And so the video ends with a call to action telling viewers to join the fight to ensure legislation against gun violence gets passed, as well as laws to protect LGBTQ people.
"Since the massacre, Congress has voted down commonsense gun safety laws...four times," text at the end of the video reads. "Meanwhile, more than 200 bills targeting the LGBTQ community have been introduced in the states this year. It will take all of us to change that."
You can head to the HRC's Stop the Hate campaign page here to learn more about what you can do to demand gun legislation get passed and how you can donate to families of Orlando victims.
