A candlelight vigil will be held on Sunday November 22 for slain gay Puerto Rican teenager Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado in the Castro District of San Francisco from 7 to 9 pm. Lopez's body was found stabbed, burned and decapitated on November 13; his murder is being investigated as a hate crime. A 19-year-old college student, Lopez was well-known for his volunteer activism on behalf of HIV prevention and gay rights causes. Vigils in his remembrance are being planned in such cities as San Juan, New York, Washington DC, and Chicago, as well as in San Francisco.
The San Francisco vigil will include a moment of silence in Lopez's honor and brief statements from LGBT and Latino community leaders. Participants are asked to bring candles to share with others. A website for vigils all over the country has been set up here.
For more info: Puerto Rico gay slaying investigated as hate crime
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