On this the 8th anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub shooting, it is appropriate that we
recognize Orlando Cruz, Puerto Rican professional boxer. Cruz lost four friends at one
of the worst mass shootings in American history, which targeted the LGBTQ+
community of Orlando, Florida. As the sport’s first and only openly gay boxer, Cruz’s
legacy includes his dedication to remembering the victims of that tragedy – 49 dead and
50 wounded individuals. One month after the shooting, Cruz dedicated his fight against
Alejandro Valdez toward the World Boxing Organization’s Super Featherweight title to
the Pulse Nightclub victims, wearing a pair of trunks, emblazoned with rainbow stripes.
In 2016, he was inducted into the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame as a
brave athlete, who challenges traditional masculine stereotypes.
“I have and will always be a proud Puerto Rican. I have always
been and always will be a proud gay man.” Orlando Cruz
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