Results tagged “vigil”

19-year-old Puerto Rican teenager Jorge Mercado was stabbed, dismembered and beheaded last week by 25-year-old Juan Martinez Matos, and Matos has since confessed to the crime using the gay panic defense. Matos was allegedly out looking for women in an area known for prostitution, and he met Mercado, who was there dressed in drag. Upon discovering that Mercado was a man, Matos stabbed him, and proceeded to dismember the body in a rage.

     

Yesterday, somewhere around 500 students, faculty, and community members showed up at a vigil at Richmond High School, where a 15-year-old girl was beaten and gang raped over over a grueling two-and-a-half-hour ordeal on October 24 during a homecoming dance.

On Saturday, a man entered a gay support center in Israel, killing two and injuring "at least 10." Most of the victims, according to BBC News, were young teens.

                

Steve Rhodes was at last night's vigil for Dr. George Tiller, the activist who was murdered this past weekend by an anti-abortion zealot.

         

Thousands of marchers headed toward Civic Center. Buoyant crowd. Choppers, fixed wing aircraft overhead. More photos to come.

           

Yesterday was International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. Regardless of your stance on prostitution, violence against sex workers, while rampant, is unacceptable. Last night there was a vigil/procession starting at City Hall to honor the day. Creative types/local sex retail activists (?) Sadie Lune, Melissa Gira, and Kirk Read were just a few of the people who showed up to remember the violence that sex workers face, and honor those who have been killed while on the job.

Last night's Marriage Equality Community Forum was neat! It started with a brief hello from former New Paltz mayor Jason West. We tried to get a picture, but as you can see, he is simply too dreamy and wonderful to be captured by normal photographic equipment.