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The New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project (AVP) strongly supports the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (A.4226/S.195), a bill that will protect all New Yorkers from discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression in areas like employment, housing, education, and public accommodations. AVP believes this protection is critical to both address the pervasive and brutal bias and violence that LGBTQ people face and to begin to end the culture of transphobia that underlies the violence we see all too commonly in TGNC communities.

The New York City Anti-Violence Project is outraged to hear of eight public violent anti-gay attacks, one of them fatal, that occurred in New York City in May. According to multiple news sources, at around 5 a.m. this morning, a gay couple was attacked on Broadway, between Prince and Houston Street, by two men shouting anti-gay slurs. The two men, identified as Fabian Ortiz, 32, and Pedro Jimenez, 23, have been arrested and charged with assault as a hate crime.

The New York City Anti-Violence Project is outraged to hear of yet another violent anti-gay attack, one of them fatal, and the sixth such incident since May 5th. According to Bruce Yelk at Nightlifegay.com, who is a close friend of the survivor, Dan Contarino was attacked last night at Avenue D and 4th Street in Manhattan's East Village neighborhood by an individual shouting anti-gay slurs.

In response to the horrific homicide of a gay man on Friday, May 17th, and the recent spate of other public anti-LGBTQ hate violence, the New York City Anti-Violence Project (AVP) will join the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Bronx LGBTQ Center, GLAAD, Make the Road NY, the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, other community partners, and New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn on Monday, May 20^th at the LGBT Community Center, 208 West 13th Street, Manhattan, at 5:30 p.m. to march to West 8th Street and 6th Avenue.  A rally and a speak out will immediately follow the march, where community members, elected officials, LGBTQ community leaders and allies will denounce hate violence and call for community safety.

The New York City Anti-Violence Project is deeply disturbed to hear of a homicide that occurred around midnight last night, May 17^th, in Greenwich Village on 8th Street and 6th Avenue.   According to the NYPD and media reports two gay men were walking down the street when they got into a conflict with two other men and one of the gay men was shot. He later died from the injury.  The NYPD reports that during the conflict the suspect or his companion made anti-gay remarks and has told AVP that the homicide is being investigated as an anti-LGBT bias case.  The NYPD further reports that the suspect is in custody and information about the victim is being withheld until the family is notified.

AVP is working with New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the NYPD and the Manhattan District Attorney's Office to further investigate this homicide.  We have also reached out to our community partners in this work.