Orlando Victim’s Mother Addresses DNC

Jim Burroway

July 28th, 2016

This happened yesterday. I meant to get around to posting it but I got wrapped up in other things. I’ve been told that Fox News cut away when Christine Leinonen took to the podium, so if you’re a Fox News watcher, you missed this. And if you missed my memorial to Chrisopher and his partner, Juan Ramón Guerrero, I’ve reposted it below.

JuanRamonGuerrero-DrewLeinonen

Juan Ramón Guerrero, 22 years old (left) Christopher Andrew Leinonen, 32 years old.

11888635_10104414853814412_7563205979875695064_oDrew was originally from Detroit, but he moved to Florida while young with his mother. He started the gay-straight alliance at Seminole High School, an act which earned him the title of Anne Frank Humanitarian Award Honoree in 2002. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in psychology at the University of Central Florida, and worked as a licensed mental health counselor. As half-Asian, he was proud of his “gaysian” identity. “He had all of this diversity in him that made him approach subjects from an interesting standpoint,” one friend said. “He could relate to anything almost.”

Juan was a pre-finance student at the University of Central Florida, and he was working as a customer service repo at a credit union. He had aspirations to be a financial advisor. Juan had come out to his cousin a few years ago but was worried about who the rest of his Dominican family would react. He came out to them earlier this year, and the family was accepting. “If he was happy, they were good.” Juan’s father described his son as quiet. “He was not a party boy.” But he loved Latin music.

20160614143323_24858370_0_bodyFriends and family described Juan and Drew as inseparable. “They were always together,” said one friend at UCF. “If you saw one, you saw the other.” Juan’s sister said, “They were honestly so in love. They were soulmates. You can tell by how they looked at each other. It’s a little comforting that they died together”

Drew last spoke to his mother earlier that evening when they were at SeaWorld. “I called him last night at 6 o’clock,” she said the day of the shooting. “He was at SeaWorld …I left him with, ‘I love you Chris.'” Drew and Juan went to Pulse with two Friends. As last call was approaching at 2:00 a.m., the four were ready to leave. The friends needed to go to the bathroom, so Drew and Juan waited for them on the dance floor. When shooting broke out, their friends were able to escape, but Drew and Juan were shot.

JuanRamonGuerrero-DrewLeinonen-4Friends saw Juan being taken to the hospital in an ambulance with multiple gunshot wounds, but he died of his injuries. For much of that day, Drew’s mother held vigil at Orlando Regional Medical Center. Her pleas for information about her son to every reporter she could corral made her the face of the kind of agony hundreds of families were going through. “I just feel terrible. I don’t know where my son is,” she said, sobbing during an interview Sunday morning. “We can’t get a hold of him. He was sitting right next to his boyfriend.”

On Monday, Drew’s name was among the last names to be released among the 49 casualties. Drew and Juan had a joint funeral at the Episcopal Cathedral Church of Saint Luke in downtown Orlando. “I think my son wanted to do that. That’s why,” said Juan’s father through tears. “I don’t care what the people think. I don’t care.” His sister added, “If it’s not a funeral, they were going to have a wedding together.”

There are no comments for this post.

Leave A Comment

All comments reflect the opinions of commenters only. They are not necessarily those of anyone associated with Box Turtle Bulletin. Comments are subject to our Comments Policy.

(Required)
(Required, never shared)

PLEASE NOTE: All comments are subject to our Comments Policy.

 

Latest Posts

The Things You Learn from the Internet

"The Intel On This Wasn't 100 Percent"

From Fake News To Real Bullets: This Is The New Normal

NC Gov McCrory Throws In The Towel

Colorado Store Manager Verbally Attacks "Faggot That Voted For Hillary" In Front of 4-Year-Old Son

Associated Press Updates "Alt-Right" Usage Guide

A Challenge for Blue Bubble Democrats

Baptist Churches in Dallas, Austin Expelled Over LGBT-Affirming Stance

Featured Reports

What Are Little Boys Made Of?

In this original BTB Investigation, we unveil the tragic story of Kirk Murphy, a four-year-old boy who was treated for “cross-gender disturbance” in 1970 by a young grad student by the name of George Rekers. This story is a stark reminder that there are severe and damaging consequences when therapists try to ensure that boys will be boys.

Slouching Towards Kampala: Uganda’s Deadly Embrace of Hate

When we first reported on three American anti-gay activists traveling to Kampala for a three-day conference, we had no idea that it would be the first report of a long string of events leading to a proposal to institute the death penalty for LGBT people. But that is exactly what happened. In this report, we review our collection of more than 500 posts to tell the story of one nation’s embrace of hatred toward gay people. This report will be updated continuously as events continue to unfold. Check here for the latest updates.

Paul Cameron’s World

In 2005, the Southern Poverty Law Center wrote that “[Paul] Cameron’s ‘science’ echoes Nazi Germany.” What the SPLC didn”t know was Cameron doesn’t just “echo” Nazi Germany. He quoted extensively from one of the Final Solution’s architects. This puts his fascination with quarantines, mandatory tattoos, and extermination being a “plausible idea” in a whole new and deeply disturbing light.

From the Inside: Focus on the Family’s “Love Won Out”

On February 10, I attended an all-day “Love Won Out” ex-gay conference in Phoenix, put on by Focus on the Family and Exodus International. In this series of reports, I talk about what I learned there: the people who go to these conferences, the things that they hear, and what this all means for them, their families and for the rest of us.

Prologue: Why I Went To “Love Won Out”
Part 1: What’s Love Got To Do With It?
Part 2: Parents Struggle With “No Exceptions”
Part 3: A Whole New Dialect
Part 4: It Depends On How The Meaning of the Word "Change" Changes
Part 5: A Candid Explanation For "Change"

The Heterosexual Agenda: Exposing The Myths

At last, the truth can now be told.

Using the same research methods employed by most anti-gay political pressure groups, we examine the statistics and the case studies that dispel many of the myths about heterosexuality. Download your copy today!

And don‘t miss our companion report, How To Write An Anti-Gay Tract In Fifteen Easy Steps.

Testing The Premise: Are Gays A Threat To Our Children?

Anti-gay activists often charge that gay men and women pose a threat to children. In this report, we explore the supposed connection between homosexuality and child sexual abuse, the conclusions reached by the most knowledgeable professionals in the field, and how anti-gay activists continue to ignore their findings. This has tremendous consequences, not just for gay men and women, but more importantly for the safety of all our children.

Straight From The Source: What the “Dutch Study” Really Says About Gay Couples

Anti-gay activists often cite the “Dutch Study” to claim that gay unions last only about 1½ years and that the these men have an average of eight additional partners per year outside of their steady relationship. In this report, we will take you step by step into the study to see whether the claims are true.

The FRC’s Briefs Are Showing

Tony Perkins’ Family Research Council submitted an Amicus Brief to the Maryland Court of Appeals as that court prepared to consider the issue of gay marriage. We examine just one small section of that brief to reveal the junk science and fraudulent claims of the Family “Research” Council.

Daniel Fetty Doesn’t Count

Daniel FettyThe FBI’s annual Hate Crime Statistics aren’t as complete as they ought to be, and their report for 2004 was no exception. In fact, their most recent report has quite a few glaring holes. Holes big enough for Daniel Fetty to fall through.