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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.

The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) is deeply concerned about a recent homicide that occurred in Clark, New Jersey this weekend. Caleb Lawrence McGillvary, an internet celebrity also known as "Kai the Hitchhiker," was arrested yesterday in a Philadelphia bus station in connection to the homicide of a well-known New Jersey lawyer, Joseph Galfy, Jr. According to media reports, the two met in New York City's Times Square on Saturday, May 11th before returning to Galfy's Clark, New Jersey home. Galfy was found on Monday in his home, he had been beaten to death and was only partially clothed. According to media reports, on Tuesday, a day after Galfy's body was discovered, McGillvary indicated on Facebook that he had been drugged and raped.

Today, May 17th, is the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHAT), a day when we honor the survivors and victims of anti-LGBTQ violence while working to prevent future incidents of violence against our communities. Anti-LGBTQ violence is a problem all over the world, and in the last two weeks, here in New York City, we have seen four public incidents of hate violence affecting our communities. We are working to prevent this violence from occurring again – and we want you to join us.

Good evening, name is Tasha Amezcua and I work at the New York City Anti-Violence Project in our Community Organizing and Public Advocacy department. AVP provides free and confidential services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and HIV-affected people who have experienced hate violence, sexual violence, intimate partner violence, and institutional violence. We also organize and build campaigns to prevent and respond to violence in our communities.

Today we are talking specifically about two recent attacks of gay men that happened in Midtown, but we also speak to the experiences of all LGBTQ and HIV-affected people who have experienced violence, or are at risk for experiencing violence.