Out gay Puerto Rican singer and songwriter Ricky Martin has been appointed as the national spokesperson for the onePULSE Foundation, a non-profit building memorials to honor LGBTQ people killed during the Pulse Nightclub shooting.
Starting on Valentine’s Day, Martin will be an advocate for the foundation’s OUTLOVE HATE campaign, a fundraising effort to honor the 49 people killed and dozens of others injured after a gunman opened fire in June 2016 at Pulse, a queer Latinx nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
“I’m excited to assist onePULSE Foundation with engagement and awareness-building opportunities as they build the National Pulse Memorial and Museum,” Martin said in a written statement. “The OUTLOVE HATE campaign is the perfect way to start our partnership. I ask everyone to join our movement, commit to change, and share the love.”
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Individuals seeking to join the campaign can upload a selfie to the organization’s site. The pictures are slated to appear as a digital mural and a permanent mosaic tile in the Pulse Museum in Orlando, Florida, which is scheduled to open in 2022.
“Participation allows you to be a ‘Face of Change’ and part of both a global digital mural and a permanent mosaic tile on display in the Pulse Museum in Orlando, Florida,” Earl Crittenden, onePULSE Foundation’s board chair, said in a written statement. “We invite the world to OUTLOVE HATE today and for generations to come.”
Last June, OnePULSE held a virtual version of their annual vigil due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The group is hoping to raise $49 million to build a permanent National Pulse Memorial and Museum and offer educational programs and scholarships to honor the individuals who died in the Pulse Nightclub shooting.
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