Ricky Martin speaks out against hate crimes, urges acceptance

Ricky Martin specifically mentioned Jorge Steven López Mercado, murdered Ecuadorian immigrant Marcelo Lucero, Matthew Shepard and other hate crimes victims in an op-ed el Nuevo Dia published earlier today.

The Puerto Rican singer, who has faced consistent questions about his own sexual orientation over the years, said headlines about López's brutal murder near Cayey last month and other recent murders have shaken him.

"The deaths of James Byrd, like that of Matthew Shepard, Jorge Steven López, Marcelo Lucero and Luis Ramírez, like other victims of violent hate crimes, should be unacceptable to all human beings; because we are all human beings," Martin said.

He further wrote he feels mere tolerance of those who are different is simply not enough.

"If we accept each other, humanity will come together," Martin wrote. "And if humanity comes together, equality for human rights will become a reality. If equality for human rights becomes a reality, peace will be within our reach."

Martin is the latest Puerto Rican celebrity who has spoken out against hate crimes since Juan A. Martínez Matos murdered López and dumped his decapitated, dismembered and partially burned body along a remote roadside on Nov. 13. Olga Tañón discussed the case on her weekly talk show earlier this month. And reggaeton artist René Pérez and Miss Universe 2001 Denise Quiñones spoke out against López's murder after they attended a San Juan vigil late last month.

Hundreds attend New York vigil for Jorge Steven Lopez and Jason Mattison, Jr.

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, City Councilmember Melissa Mark-Viverito, City Councilmember-elect Danny Dromm, Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation president Jarrett T. Barrios and fashion designer Malan Breton were among the hundreds who attended a vigil on the Christopher Street Pier earlier tonight in honor of Jorge Steven López and Jason Mattison, Jr., on the Christopher Street Pier earlier tonight.

This gathering was one of 20 that took place across the country.

Jorge Steven López's mother breaks her silence

As people around the country prepare to hold memorials and vigils to remember Jorge Steven López and Jason Mattison, Jr., an openly gay 15-year-old who was raped and killed in Baltimore earlier this month, López's mother has begun to break her silence.

"When my son told me he was gay, I told him, 'Now, I love you more,'" Miriam Mercado said in a statement. "I want to tell the world that hatred is not born with human beings, it is a seed that is planted by adults and is fostered creating a climate of intolerance and violence. We must change our ways and understand that anyone... could have been my son. And I want everybody to know that Jorge Steven was a very much loved son."

López's funeral begins later this morning in Toa Alta. And his family and friends will lay him to rest tomorrow.

Jorge Steven López to be laid to rest Monday

Puerto Rico Para Tod@s and Jorge Steven López's family have announced the murdered gay teenager's funeral will begin tomorrow in Toa Alta.

In addition, the LGBT advocacy organization has announced it plans to hold a vigil against hate crimes in San Juan on Wednesday, Nov. 25. A march will begin at 6 p.m. in front of the Department of Justice, and it will end at Parque Luis Muñoz Rivera.

Local authorities have yet to decide whether to charge Juan A. Martinez Matos under the territory's hate crimes statute. The 26-year-old has confessed to investigators and local media he killed López after he discovered he was actually a man after he said he solicited him for sex on a Caguas street. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has maintained it could bring federal hate crimes charges against Matos if Puerto Rican authorities fail to do so.

Meanwhile, Pedro Julio Serrano posted to his Facebook page pictures of his meeting with López's parents, Miriam Mercado and Jorge López, Sr., earlier today. Primera Hora also posted two videos of tributes that took place at Krash in Santurce.



Miriam Mercado flashes her late son's trademark gesture with Pedro Julio Serrano earlier today.

Activists plan massive Puerto Rico vigil in honor of Jorge Steven López

As vigils and other memorials for Jorge Steven López continue to pop up around the country, Pedro Julio Serrano of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force tells Boy in Bushwick he expects the murdered teen's family and thousands of others to march through the streets of San Juan ahead of a vigil on Wednesday, Nov. 26.

Hundreds of people took part in a march through the Puerto Rican capital last night to demand an end to homophobia. Serrano stressed López family, with whom he said he remains in constant contact, fully accepted the openly gay teenager--López's ex-boyfriend continues to speak publicly on the family's behalf.

"It has been devastating for the family, but they are comforted... in part by the overwhelming support they've received not only for the LGBT community and Puerto Rico," Serrano said.

Serrano further pointed out what he described as a "deafening silence" from the island's political and religious leaders over López's death. New York Congressmembers José Serrano and Nydia Velázquez have both condemned the gruesome murder. And New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn's office has co-sponsored a vigil scheduled to take place this Sunday, Nov. 22, on the Christopher Street Pier.

Boy in Bushwick continues to try and reach out to López's friends and family, but Serrano stressed he wants people to know who the teen was and how he said he affected those who knew him well.

"He was very proud of who he was and he was very comfortable in his own skin," he said as he once again pointed out López identified as a gay man and he volunteered for a number of LGBT organizations on Puerto Rico. "He was a free man; a free human being who had no limits to what he wanted. It only took a minute to fall in love with him. He was so genuine, so authentic."

Details of Jorge Steven López memorial in New York emerge

From the Latino Commission on AIDS.

Puerto Rican authorities to charge suspect in connection with gay teenager's murder

Puerto Rican authorities have announced they will charge a local man with first-degree murder and four other counts in connection with Jorge Steven López’s gruesome death near Cayey late last week.

Police maintain Juan A. Martínez Matos killed López after he discovered the teenager, whom he had thought was a female prostitute he had solicited on a Caguas street, was actually a man. Investigators further allege Matos decapitated and dismembered López before he burned his body and left it in a wooded area near his parents' apartment.

Matos has reportedly confessed to the murder, and he plans to use a "gay panic" defense. A judge will arraign Matos in a Caguas court in the morning, but Puerto Rican investigators have not decided whether to apply the Commonwealth's hate crime statute, which includes sexual orientation.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has indicated Matos may face federal hate crimes charges if local authorities fail to indict him under the Puerto Rican law.

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.