LGBT Memorial Makes Its Debut Along Hudson River
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Gov. Andrew Cuomo and members of the LGBT community were on hand for the dedication of a new memorial honoring those lost in the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting in June 2016 and "all victims of hate, intolerance and violence."
The memorial, designed by artist Anthony Goicolea, is located at the western edge of Greenwich Village in Hudson River Park. It has nine boulders with pieces of glass installed in them that can act as prisms and reflect rainbows in sunlight.
Goicolea spoke at the memorial's unveiling Sunday, hours before the start of the annual Pride March in New York City.
"Seeing gay people, out in the open with no sense of vulnerability or fear, was new to me," he said, recalling his move from Georgia to Manhattan during the 1990s.
The public space art initiative came from the LGBT Memorial Commission started by Cuomo after the tragic shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016, which left 50 people dead including the shooter, and another 53 people wounded.
"As we recognize the sacrifice this community has had to endure throughout the course of history, we are reminded of our commitment to protecting and advancing the rights of the LGBT community until we live in a world free from hate once and for all," said Cuomo.
