LGBT in Puerto Rico

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Puerto Rico have gained some legal rights in recent years. Same sex relationships have been legal in Puerto Rico since 2003, and same-sex marriage and adoptions are also permitted. U.S. federal hate crime laws apply in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the north-eastern Caribbean Sea.
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Violence against the LGBT community

In recent years, numerous LGBT people have been murdered with some laying the blame for these acts on politicians and on the religious community.[1]

The dismembered body of 19-year-old college student Jorge Steven López Mercado was discovered 14 November 2009 in Cayey, a city located in the island's interior region. López was widely known as a volunteer for organizations advocating gay rights and HIV prevention, and activists planned remembrance vigils for him in cities including San Juan, Chicago, and New York. According to local police, it is under investigation as a possible hate crime, under the newly approved U.S. Federal hate crimes law which includes crimes against people who are (or perceived to be) gay or transgender people. Juan A. Martinez Matos was arrested a few days after López Mercado's body was discovered.[2] On 12 May 2010, Martinez Matos pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 99 years in prison for the murder of López Mercado.[3]

On 19 April 2010, the body of Ashley Santiago, a transgender woman who resided in the town of Corozal was discovered in the kitchen of her home. Santiago, a stylist at a local salon, was found naked on the floor and was stabbed 14 times by an unknown assailant.[4]

On 13 September 2010, the bodies of Justo Luis "Michelle" Gonzalez and Miguel Orlando "La Flaca" Soto, two transsexuals were found murdered along a road in the small town of Juana Diaz.[5] With these two deaths, LGBT activists on the island have stated that nine gay and transsexual people have been killed over the last 10 months on the island, and local authorities have not adequately responded to these crimes.[6] In October 2012, Malena Suarez, a transgender woman living in Carolina, was found dead at her home as a result of multiple stabbings. Her death marked the 30th anti-LGBT homicide in Puerto Rico in a decade.[7]

History of the LGBT movement

In 1973 the Comunidad de Orgullo Gay (the Gay Pride Community) was the first gay rights organization in Puerto Rico. In 1991, the Coalición Puertorriqueña de Lesbianas y Homosexuales (the Puerto Rican Lesbian and Gay Coalition) was also formed.[8] That same year, one of the first LGBT pride parades was organized in Puerto Rico, and subsequent events occur each year in San Juan and Cabo Rojo.[9]

Between the 1990s and 2008, various LGBT community groups arose, as there was more public discussion about sexual orientation, gender identity, human rights and the HIV-AIDS pandemic. Today, there are numerous Puerto Rican LGBT rights organizations and nightclubs, with most of the LGBTQ organizations based in and around San Juan.[10]

On 6 November 2012, Popular Democratic Party candidate Pedro Peters Maldonado became the first openly gay politician elected to public office in the island's history, when he won a seat in San Juan's city council.[11]

See also

References
  1. Rothaus, Steve (21 June 2011). "Deadly assaults target gay and transgender people in Puerto Rico - Americas - MiamiHerald.com". Miami Herald. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  2. Suspect charged with murder in slaying of gay teen in Puerto Rico from CNN 18 November 2009
  3. Man jailed for 99 years for murder of Puerto Rican gay student from PinkNews 13 May 2010
  4. Transgender woman stabbed to death in Puerto Rico home from www.edgeboston.com 20 April 2010
  5. Puerto Rican Authorities Accused of Tolerating Homophobia from the Latin American Herald Tribune 23 September 2010
  6. 2 men in women's clothing slain in Puerto Rico, activists demand hate crime investigation from the Associated Press 13 September 2010
  7. Transgender murder 30th anti-LGBTQ homicide in Puerto Rico in decade from the Windy City Times 23 October 2012
  8. The International Encyclopedia of Sexuality: Puerto Rico
  9. Pride in Puerto Rico
  10. Groffman, Adam. "Gay Puerto Rico Guide". Travels of Adam. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  11. Homosexual gana por primera vez unas elecciones en la Isla from El Nuevo Dia 7 November 2012
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