Box Turtle Bulletin
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobby“Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife…”
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyJuly 3rd, 2016
Javier Jorge Reyes, 40 years old.
Javier’s Facebook profile renders his name as Harvey George Kings, an English translation of his name. But his friends called hin Javi. He worked as a salesman for Gucci, who made the arrangements for his final trip back to Puerto Rico for his funeral and burial.
He was born in Juayama, Puerto Rico. He studied business administration at Academia San Antonio de Guayama, and tourism at Universidad del Sagrado Corazón. He started working at an Orlando Guess? store in 2001 as co-manager, and left to become a supervisor at a Gucci store in 2013. Co-workers described him as “an amazing salesman” who was style-conscious and customer oriented.
“He liked to go out,” one friend said. “He was proud to be Latino, super proud.” Friends arranged for a private viewing at an Orlando funeral home before he was flown back to Puerto Rico. As loved ones streamed into the funeral home, the parking lot was ringed with tattooed bikers, sheriff’s deputies, members of the LGBT community and allies who used posters and rainbow-colored sheets to prevent potential disruptions by members of Westboro Baptist, who threatened to protest the memorial service. About 100 people people were there, ready and waiting, but Westboro failed to show up.
Martin Benitez Torres, 33 years old.
Martin Benitez Flores (foreground) and his boyfriend, Michael Morales
Martin, originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, had just arrived a few days earlier to visit family in Orlando. He posted videos to Facebook on Saturday morning, showing him cooking in the kitching with family members, and he recorded a walking tour of the apartment grounds to show friends and family back in Puerto Rico. He had enrolled at the Tampa campus of Sistema Universitario Ana G. Méndez to become a pharmacy tech, and was one of four Ana G. Méndez students from its Orlando and Tampa campuses who were victims that night.
Before moving to Tampa, he worked as a travel agent in Puerto Rico. His favorite holiday was Halloween, and he organized themed parties for his co-workers and created his own costume. “His infectious energy would soon have us all dressed up for the occasion,” said one friend and co-worker. He used those same talents to create costumes for local beauty pageant contestants.
Martin was at Pulse that night with his boyfriend, Michael Morales. Michael was seriously injured in the shooting.
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