In response to the June 12 tragedy in Orlando, individuals from across Loyola Marymount University’s campus have united to honor the victims and show support for the LGBT+ community.
More than 2,000 people gathered at Los Angeles City Hall on Monday for rally and vigil to honor the victims of the mass shooting. More than a dozen members of the LMU community — including staff from the LGBT Student Services office — traveled together to the event to pay their respects and comfort one another.
Among LMU’s own to attend was Anthony Garrison-Engbrecht, director of Leadership Programs and LGBT Student Services.
“It is important to collectively grieve and share a message of love and hope for the future,” Garrison-Engbrecht says. “We [at LMU] are called to value the diversity of the human experience and become active citizens locally and globally.”
On Tuesday, Fr. Robert Caro addressed the LMU community in a letter about the tragedy.
“As a Catholic, Jesuit-Marymount university that upholds the inherent value of each and every human person,” wrote Caro, Vice President for Mission and Ministry, “we condemn these shootings as a violation of human dignity, not only of the victims but of the entire LGBTQ community.”
Caro continued in the letter, “We also stand in solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters, conscious that acts of violence perpetrated in the name of Islam do not reflect the true values of their faith.”
At LMU’s Sacred Heart Chapel on Tuesday, more than 100 students, faculty and staff joined together for a prayer service, where Garrison-Engbrecht read the names of all the Orlando victims.
“Seeing our LMU community unite in solidarity with the families, friends and those impacted by the tragic events in Orland, as well as the LGBTQ+ community, is inspiring,” he says. “It reminds me that we are interdependent and desperately need each other. Through this celebration, we are able to love, be love and show love — truly creating a campus where all are welcome.”
Students experiencing emotional distress related to recent tragedies should contact Student Psychological Services. Additional support resources include LGBT Student Services and Muslims for Progressive Values.
Photos: Los Angeles Rally and Vigil
Photographs by Richard Tamayo
Photos: LMU Prayer Service
Photographs by Devin Dillon