This Sunday marks the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, a defining moment for Americans. In our collective horror, we watched the plane hit the first tower, then the second. We watched as the first tower fell, then the second. At some point, we learned that a plane had hit the Pentagon. At some point, we learned a fourth plane had crashed in Pennsylvania.
In the last decade, our collective memory has been overwritten as we learned just how events transpired. We learned who orchestrated the attacks, who executed the attacks. And we learned about the nearly 3,000 who died. We heard tales of heroism, and we heard utterly heartbreaking stories.
Oft-forgotten in that narrative are the members of the LGBT community who lost their lives in the tragedy. Here are 23 known LGBT victims — some considered heroes, all cherished, none forgotten.
— Renee Barrett escaped the World Trade Center tower, but later died of burns.
— Graham Berkeley, a native of England who lived in Boston, was onboard United Airlines Flight 175. His plane was the second to crash into the World Trade Center.
— Mark Bingham was a passenger on United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania, and assisted in defending the aircraft against the attackers.
— Pamela Boyce, 43, was at work on the 92nd floor of the World Trade Center’s north tower when it was struck.
— David Charlebois, a member of the National Gay Pilots Association, was the co-pilot of American Airlines Flight 77, the plane that crashed into the Pentagon.
— Eugene Clark, 47, worked on the 102nd floor of the south World Trade Center tower.
— Jeffrey Collman was a flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11, which crashed into the north tower.
— Luke Dudek, 50, worked for Windows on the World as the food and beverage controller.
— James Joe Ferguson, 39, was the director of geography education outreach at the National Geographic Society. He was a passenger on American Airlines Flight 77.
— Carol Flyzik was a passenger on American Airlines Flight 11, the first plane to crash into the World Trade Center towers.
— Partners of 13 years, Ronald Gamboa, 33, and Dan Brandhorst, 42, were traveling with their 3-year-old adopted son, David, on their way home to Los Angeles from Boston on United Airlines Flight 175, which crashed into the second tower of the World Trade Center.
— Sheila Hein, 51, worked at the U.S. Army management and budget office in the Pentagon, which was hit by American Airlines Flight 77.
— The Rev. Mychal Judge was a Roman Catholic priest and the chaplain of the New York City Fire Department who died while ministering at Ground Zero.
— William Anthony Karnes, 37, lived within sight of the World Trade Center.
— John Keohane, 41, worked at One Liberty Plaza near the World Trade Center. He was killed by falling debris on the street.
— Michael Lepore, 39, was a project analyst at Marsh & McLennon.
— Waleska Martinez, 37, a computer whiz in the Census Bureau’s New York office, was aboard flight 93 that crashed outside Shanksville, Pa.
— Patricia McAneney was the fire marshal of her floor in the first World Trade Center tower.
— Wesley Mercer, 70, was vice president of corporate security at the World Trade Center. Before he was killed, he guided some 3,700 employees to safety.
— “Roxy Eddie” Ognibene worked on the 89th floor of the second World Trade Center tower. He was a member of the Renegades of New York’s Big Apple Softball League.
— Seamus O’Neal.
— Catherine Smith, 44, worked on the 97th floor of the World Trade Center tower.
(Reference: About.com Gay Life and Angelfire.com)