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This Father Refused to Claim His Son's Body After Orlando Shooting

The reason why will make you sick.

Now that smoke has cleared and the chaos has settled, the aftermath of the Pulse nightclub shooting is underway. All of the bodies of those who were gunned down have officially been released to their families.

The Florida Emergency Mortuary Operation Response System has called in families to identify bodies so they can be released. However, they were surprised when one father had a difficult time making the identification.

One Puerto Rican father refused to identify the body of his son because his son was gay and his father was ashamed. After much discussion and persuasion, the body was identified and released to Orlando relatives.

This incident may come as a surprise to some; however, considering the socially conservative ideas of some Puerto Ricans, this story embodies a very deep-rooted complex within society. In fact, despite the SCOTUS ruling on same sex marriage last year, it was not fully legalized in Puerto Rico until April of this year, even though Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory.

The shooting that took place in Orlando revealed a very serious form of hate that still exists in this country. However, now with celebrations and pride events taking place in New York and other major cities, people everywhere are showing just how unified we still are.  

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