New York Announces Plan For Memorial To Hate Crime Victims

Governor Cuomo said the Orlando attack "opened the eyes of this world to the injustice that is still done against the LGBTQ community."
From: NewNowNext

 Shortly before Sunday’s Pride parade, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the formation of a commission to produce a memorial in New York City honoring hate-crime victims, including those killed and wounded at Pulse nightclub in Orlando.

“We want this terrible event remembered,” said Cuomo at a press conference at the LGBT Center. “And we want the lesson learned so it never happens again.”

The state is contributing $1 million for the project, with additional money presumably coming from the city or private donors.

According to a press release, two potential locations have been identified: One in Battery Park City, overlooking the Statue of Liberty, and another along the Chelsea Piers in Greenwich Village.

The commission’s recommendations are due by the end of the year.

Cuomo also announced a new campaign highlighting New York’s support for LGBT rights and social justice, directed at states with less-than-stellar records.

The “Open Doors Campaign” will feature digital and broadcast spots and will air this summer in Texas, Mississippi and North Carolina, home of HB2.

“Orlando didn’t happen in a vacuum, right?” said the governor. “There’s an anti-diversity sentiment all across this country. And we’re going to run TV ads that say, ’If you feel threatened by diversity, come to New York.’”

Referencing the mass of people who gathered at vigils worldwide, and the renewed activism of LGBT community, Cuomo said the attack “has reawakened this community—which by the way never sleeps in the first place. It has opened the eyes of this world to the injustice that is still done against the LGBTQ community.”

After the announcement, Cuomo walked in the New York City Pride March alongside Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.