Andrew Garfield Responds to Orlando Tragedy: 'Fight Fiercely For Love'

Andrew Garfield was among the mourners attending a vigil for Orlando victims in London's Soho district last week. After witnessing the emotional event, the Spider Man star penned a heartfelt essay for Time Out London.

In the essay, he writes:

"In the wake of Orlando this is a matter of life and death, and Pride is a celebration of the miracle of life. A celebration of a community who have had to fight and are still fighting for their basic human rights. A community of lovers who are outrageously forced to continually say: 'See me. See me deeper. Accept me. No, don't just accept me - love me. Celebrate my presence on this earth. Welcome me, don't just tolerate me. See me as I am and love me as I am: your brother, your sister.'"

He continues:

"In a modern age when a Twitter post seems to count for activism, my experience is that there is nothing quite as healing and life affirming as hands on hands, tears with tears, flesh with flesh, sorrow with sorrow. Love is a verb.

It feels like the time, more than ever, to stand with love, to fight fiercely for love, to build bridges across these imaginary divides that are trying to keep us segregated in fear of what is 'other' than us.'"

The letter ends with a proud call to "kiss each other all over London." We feel deeply supported and inspired by Garfield as a visible LGBT ally.

Read the full essay here.