A Message for the Families of the Victims from the Pulse Nightclub Shootings

I just heard an amazing and sad report on NPR’s show “The Takeaway” about the pulse nightclub shootings that happened a year ago today. The club was having “Latino Night” which meant lots of Spanish speakers were victims.

The story talked about how there was a big shortage in translation and interpretation services responding to the tragedy. The hospital prioritized its interpreters on the non-English speakers who were seriously injured. However, there was a serious shortage of Spanish interpreters and Spanish-speaking professionals available to assist the families of the victims.

Some families didn’t even know their son was gay, so you can imagine the shock and confusion. Spanish-speaking counselors, social workers, interpreters and other professionals were in short supply and high demand.

It breaks my heart to hear these stories. I can just imagine how lost and scared those families were. Language Access (including Spanish translations and interpretation) is a big issue for the LGBT community, just like any community. We acknowledge the additional pain caused by the lack of language services. As a result, we want to express our thoughts in Spanish on this anniversary.

Feel free to share our message to the families affected by this tragedy:

A un año del tiroteo en la discoteca Pulse, nuestros corazones y pensamientos están junto a las familias de las víctimas.

 (“Our hearts and thoughts go out to the families of the victims from the Pulse Nightclub shootings.”)