Gay man's gruesome murder sends shockwaves across Puerto Rico

I honestly feel as though I have reported on far too many hate crimes in recent weeks, but Jorge Steven López’s gruesome murder near Cayey, Puerto Rico, late last week provides an all too vivid reminder anti-LGBT hate and violence remains a serious problem all of us must address.

For those of you who remain unaware of this case, local residents found López’s decapitated, dismembered and partially burned body in a wooded area near Cayay on Friday. His friends became concerned after he failed to meet them at a popular gay club in San Juan's Santurce neighborhood. Puerto Rican police took a 28-year-old man into custody earlier this morning in connection with López’s death.

Puerto Rican activists plan to protest outside the territorial capital on Thursday. And they will also hold a vigil later this week.