Tituss Burgess (The Little Mermaid, Guys and Dolls) and Nick Jonas (How to Succeed…, Beauty and the Beast) were among the speakers June 13 at a vigil at New York's Stonewall Inn to support the LGBT community following the June 12 mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, FL.
“I have to tell you, being here and seeing all of your faces has comforted me in a way that I did not expect coming down here,” Burgess told the hundreds of attendees, according to EW.com. The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt actor said he is often at a loss for words in such difficult times and then proceeded to deliver a heartfelt version of “Somewhere” from West Side Story.
Jonas said, “More than anything, I just want to speak from the heart and say I woke up yesterday to the news, like all of you, and my heart broke…My father, a minister from New Jersey, shaped my view that love is love, that we are all equal. That no matter who you are, or where you’re from, or where you’re going in life, you have the right to love and be loved. So yesterday, thinking about the families of the victims and the lives lost, I just thought that could be my friend. That could be my people.”
Many posted snippets of the vigil on Twitter:
.@TitussBurgess sings "There's a place for us" @ #OrlandoUnited vigil pic.twitter.com/bVohnN20wL
— Kathleen Culliton (@K_Culliton) June 13, 2016
.@TitussBurgess sings at @StonewallInnNYC rally for Orlando shooting victims. @DNAinfo pic.twitter.com/3oqCnEIthc
— Ben Fractenberg (@fractenberg) June 13, 2016
Lady Gaga was also part of a Los Angeles vigil June 13. The singing actress, according to Billboard.com, read a list of the 49 victims and stated, “I can't help but feel that this level of hatred, like all prejudicial crimes, this is an attack on humanity itself…This is an attack on everyone.”
The city of Orlando posted this message on its website: “During this difficult time, we offer heartfelt condolences to the families of the 49 victims who lost their lives during the Pulse tragedy. To the families and friends of the victims, your city is with you and will continue to be with you as you deal with this unimaginable tragedy.”
The names of the victims of the largest mass shooting in American history follow:
Stanley Almodovar III, 23 years old
Amanda Alvear, 25 years old
Oscar A Aracena-Montero, 26 years old
Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33 years old
Antonio Davon Brown, 29 years old
Darryl Roman Burt II, 29 years old
Angel L. Candelario-Padro, 28 years old
Juan Chevez-Martinez, 25 years old
Luis Daniel Conde, 39 years old
Cory James Connell, 21 years old
Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25 years old
Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32 years old
Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez, 31 years old
Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25 years old
Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26 years old
Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22 years old
Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22 years old
Paul Terrell Henry, 41 years old
Frank Hernandez, 27 years old
Miguel Angel Honorato, 30 years old
Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40 years old
Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19 years old
Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30 years old
Anthony Luis Laureanodisla, 25 years old
Christopher Andrew Leinonen, 32 years old
Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21 years old
Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, 49 years old
Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, 25 years old
Kimberly Morris, 37 years old
Akyra Monet Murray, 18 years old
Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, 20 years old
Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez, 25 years old
Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36 years old
Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32 years old
Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35 years old
Enrique L. Rios, Jr., 25 years old
Jean C. Nives Rodriguez, 27 years old
Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35 years old
Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24 years old
Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, 24 years old
Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34 years old
Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33 years old
Martin Benitez Torres, 33 years old
Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega, 24 years old
Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, 37 years old
Luis S. Vielma, 22 years old
Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez, 50 years old
Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37 years old
Jerald Arthur Wright, 31 years old