Puerto Rico activists demand hate crime charges amid series of gay, transgender killings

[Judi Lynn]

Puerto Rico activists demand hate crime charges amid series of gay, transgender killings
By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, June 9, 3:42 PM

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Activists are demanding that a series of killings of gays, lesbians and transgenders in Puerto Rico be treated as possible hate crimes, saying there is an alarming rate of violence against these groups on the U.S. island.

In the last year and a half, at least 18 such people have been killed, three of them just this week, but authorities refuse to treat the cases as bias crimes, Pedro Julio Serrano, founder of the gay rights group Puerto Rico for Everyone, said Thursday.

“It seems they have declared open hunting season against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and transsexual people,” he said.

A 2002 hate crime law in Puerto Rico covers crimes based on sexual orientation or gender identity, but it has only been invoked in one case. If someone is found guilty of a hate crime they automatically face the maximum sentence for the underlying offense. If the offense is murder, it means life in prison.

More:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/americas/puerto-rico-activists-demand-hate-crime-charges-amid-series-of-gay-transgender-killings/2011/06/09/AGLt8eNH_story.html?wprss=rss_asia-pacific