Denver -- The Colorado Anti-Violence Program (CAVP) today released the sixth annual report on statewide violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. The report, part of a nationwide survey produced by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP), contains information, narratives, and statistics on bias-motivated incidents in Colorado and nationally.

Denver -- The Colorado Anti-Violence Program (CAVP) today expressed concern and outrage at the assault on April Mora, a seventeen-year-old lesbian who was attacked on Tuesday.

April Mora says that attackers used razor blades to slash her face and cut words into her flesh. The word "dyke" was cut into her forearm and the initials "R.I.P." were cut into her abdomen. April suffers other razor wounds and bumps and buises on her body.

Denver - The Colorado Anti-Violence Program (CAVP) joined with other lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) organizations in supporting the filing of a federal civil rights claim and state tort claim today on behalf of Kyle Skyock, a Rifle, Colorado teenager who was beaten and left to die by the side of the road in sub-freezing temperatures last February.

"As victim advocates, it is our hope that the civil case will establish accountability for the attack on Kyle," said Denise de Percin, CAVP Executive Director.  "The safety of everyone in a community hinges on holding perpetrators responsible for their actions, and making it clear that there are consequences for violent behavior."

A coalition of gay and lesbian rights groups will hold a press conference to announce the filing of a lawsuit against four young men who allegedly beat a gay teenager unconscious in the small, rural town of Rifle, Colorado in February, 2001.

The press conference will take place on Thursday, February 7 at 11:00 a.m. at the main entrance to the Federal Courthouse at 1929 Stout St. in Denver.

The victim of the attack is Kyle Skyock, a diminutive teen who lives in Rifle, a town located on Interstate 70 between Glenwood Springs and Grand Junction.

Denver - On the same day that a bill proposing to revise and strengthen Colorado's Ethnic Intimidation Act to include the categories of sexual orientation and gender identity passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, vandals sprayed anti-gay graffiti on the walls of Columbine United Church in Littleton.

Statewide community organizations including the Colorado Anti-Violence Program, Equal Rights Colorado, and The Interfaith Alliance of Colorado, along with sponsors of the Bias-Motivated Crime bill Penfield Tate (D-Denver) and Mark Larson (R-Cortez) today responded to this most recent incident of bias-motivated violence, emphasizing the inconsistencies and inequalities under current Colorado law and the lack of understanding about the impact of hate crimes on the safety of our communities.

"We have seen an Associated Press photograph of a bomb being loaded onto the USS Enterprise, one of the ships involved in the current U.S. attacks in Afghanistan. In the photo, graffiti written on the bomb, apparently destined for an Afghan target, is appalling. The warhead is scrawled with the message "HIGH JACK THIS FAGS" (sic). The U.S. Navy must address this very serious and dangerous demonstration of homophobia. It's not enough to excuse this because of the heightened crisis facing the country. Homophobia is wrong during war or during peace," said Richard Haymes, NCAVP Board Member and Executive Director of the New York City Gay & Lesbian Anti-Violence Project.

New York - The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) today called for our nation to resist a growing tide of anti-Islamic, Arab, and Middle Eastern sentiment in reaction to the recent acts of terrorism in New York City, at the Pentagon, and in southwestern Pennsylvania. While the entire nation and people across the globe are devastated by the human tragedy resulting from these violent acts, NCAVP is asking that in our anger we not strike out against neighbors and co-workers who may be or are perceived to be of Middle Eastern descent or of the Islamic faith.

NCAVP expresses its support and compassion for the victims of these terrible events and offers its condolences to their survivors and loved ones. We know that life will be irrevocably changed for the survivors of these attacks, and we stand by the victims of the violence and join in the calls for justice. However, NCAVP also cautions against victimizing others in our response to this devastation. It is a time for us to reach out to one another with compassion and healing and not attack others out of revenge, or because of intolerance, or misdirected anger.

The Colorado Anti-Violence Program today applauded law enforcement in Montezuma County, CO and San Juan County, NM, and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, for their cooperative efforts to apprehend those responsible for the murder of Fred Martinez, Jr. in Cortez, Colorado.

"Today's announcement by law enforcement that they have arrested a suspect provides a small measure of relief to all the communities affected by the murder, and also sends a clear signal that law enforcement has followed through on their commitment to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in the Four Corners area and throughout Colorado," said Denise de Percin, Executive Director. "Of course we still have concerns about whether the crime was motivated by any type of bias," she continued, "but we have renewed confidence that the investigation will eventually be able to address these questions."

The Colorado Anti-Violence Program (CAVP) adds its voice to those of other state and local organizations mourning the loss of Fred Martinez Jr. Martinez's body was found in Cortez, Colorado on June 21, 2001, the apparent victim of homicide. Montezuma County and Cortez law enforcement, along with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, are determining whether the murder of the 16-year-old Navajo who identified as gay was motivated by bias.