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.

	Gay Slur Carved on Teen's Body 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.

"For members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, every assault confirms both our fears and our experiences - that we are not safe, even in our own neighborhoods and communities." said Denise de Percin, Executive Director.

The attack on Mora highlights a disturbing trend documented by the Colorado Anti-Violence Program of increasing violence toward young LGBT people. The CAVP anticipates an increase of over 100% in number of violent incidents targeting young LGBT people under the age of 22 in Colorado for 2001. Recent high profile cases involving the assault of Kyle Skyock in Rifle, Colorado and the murder of Fred Martinez, Jr. in Cortez, Colorado are especially violent indicators of this trend.

"People beat you up and they leave physical scars. But when it's because of who you are it's the emotional scars that stay with you forever," said Kapree Brown, a 16-year-old CAVP client who was assaulted by fifteen people in Denver this January. "GLBT kids get beaten up everyday and it's ignored. It makes it seem like it's okay for everyone else to be who they are, but when it comes to sexual orientation it's not okay to be yourself."

In a 2001 survey by the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN), 42% of LGBT students reported being physically harassed (being shoved, pushed, etc.) because of their sexual orientation. Individuals who face oppression in multiple categories are particularly vulnerable; in the GLSEN survey 48% of LGBT students of color report being verbally harassed because of both their sexual orientation and their race/ethnicity.

"At a time when efforts to end bullying in our schools have achieved local and national prominence, we have also seen a significant increase in reports from young LGBT people," said Carter Klenk, CAVP Program Director. "Clearly, current anti-bullying efforts are not effectively ensuring that our schools and communities are safe for our most vulnerable young people."

Voluntary participation by Colorado law enforcement agencies in reporting hate crimes under the 1990 Hate Crimes Statistics Act has been minimal. As reported by the FBI, in 2000 only 34 of 234 Colorado law enforcement agencies reported any bias-motivated incidents based on any of the categories included in the federal statute. During the same period, 124 anti-LGBT incidents were reported to the CAVP.

The Anti-Defamation League lists Denver among cities with the "most egregiously deficient" reporting for 2000. Furthermore, although Denver is the nations 25th largest city, it reported only seven bias-motivated incidents in 2000.

"It is disturbing to have a representative from the Denver Police Department say that these kind of incidents are 'rare'," said de Percin. "Certainly the experience of the LGBT community in Denver has been that harassment, threats, intimidation and violence are not a rare at all. Drastic underreporting of bias-violence to police by targeted populations is extremely common, especially where there is no provision for mandatory training or mandatory reporting, which is the case in Colorado."

The Denver District Attorney's Office notes that the conduct involved in the alleged assault of April Mora is covered by the Colorado Revised Statutes. Depending on the circumstances of the case, the conduct falls under one of three degrees of assault.

"Assault in the First Degree" applies if the assailant intends to cause "serious bodily injury" and does so with a "deadly weapon." It can also apply if the assailant intends "to disfigure another person seriously and permanently" and does so. (Class Three Felony) "Assault in the Second Degree" applies if the assailant intends to cause "bodily injury" and does so with a "deadly weapon." (Class Four Felony) "Assault in the Third Degree" applies if the assailant "knowingly" causes "bodily injury" to the victim. (Class One Misdemeanor)

The Colorado "Ethnic Intimidation" statute (C.R.S. 18-9-121) applies to situations where the intent of the assailant for committing the crime against the victim is because of the victim's "race, color, religion, ancestry, or national origin." Based on the conduct involved, the crime can range from a Class One Misdemeanor to a Class Four Felony. "Sexual Orientation" is not covered under this statute. Under the circumstances alleged in this case, the applicable assault statutes provide for a penalty that is equal to or greater than the "Ethnic Intimidation" statute.

"Hate crimes are message crimes," state Klenk. "And the message here is that young LGBT people in Colorado are increasingly at risk of violence."

See also the media release from the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition (www.ntac.org) ... NTAC Urges Passage of Hate Crimes Proposal after Colorado Attack.

Statement of April Mora (4-2-2002)
regarding the brutal assault on her near her home in Denver, Colorado on March 26

My name is April Mora. I am 17 years old and I was assaulted. It has mixed up my emotions. I am even scared to go outside.

The police also have a lot to do with it because I feel that they don't care. It's almost like they are against all gays. I don't think that it was okay for the police to go on television and say that there is something wrong with "gay" people mentally. It's bad enough that they think I did this to myself. I can't believe that the police don't care. Who are we supposed to run to?

I feel unsafe and scared to go outside and also scared for my girlfriend to go out by herself. I feel that just because I look like a guy I'm supposed to get beat up like one. I'm scared that because my girlfriend Dominicque has been seen that someone like those guys would do something worse to her because she is pretty and they would do it in revenge.

The detectives were very rude and made me feel uncomfortable, as if we were wasting their time. The polygraph test I think was ridiculous. The detectives were getting mad because my mother-in-law and my mother were reading the papers and the questions. They need to remember that I am a minor.

I just hope that we can pull together as a community to stand up for our rights. This is a hate crime. I was beat up because I'm gay. How many times do we have to come home beat up because of our sexuality before someone does something about it? Even the doctors and nurses said that they would write out a statement because there is no way that I could have done this to myself.

Please let's pull together. This has put me through so many mixed emotions. Let's pull together. Thank you for listening to me.

Thank you.
April Mora

Statement of Roberta Quintana, April 2, 2002, regarding the brutal assault on 17-year-old April Mora, Denver, Colorado

First of all on behalf of April Mora and Dominicque Quintana as well as their families we would like to thank all of you listening for the opportunity to express the emotional stress and trauma that we have gone through over the physical as well as mental assault of our loved one April Mora. We as family, friends, and community consider this a violent hate crime over April's sexual orientation.

The truth of the matter is that April was walking northbound in the alley behind the 1400 block of Lowell Boulevard. A black Honda Accord built like a race car drove up behind April as she was heading towards the store for a pop. As she looked back at the car she paused admiring it, when the driver of the car blurted out "Look at the Dyke."

April then gave them a dirty look. Before she knew it two of the three men jumped out and grabbed April and wrestled her to the ground. One held her shoulders, facing her feet, having pinned her down with his knees with a knife held to the side of her neck. The other man was sitting on top of April's upper thighs facing him.

He began mutilating her body by carving obscene remarks. First on her left forearm he carved the word "dyke". He then pulled up her shirt and carved "R.I.P."  April began to scream; the man holding the knife on her throat sliced her tongue while telling her to shut up. She began choking on the blood. She was fighting for her life and abruptly moving while the man kept slicing her face with the razor. Then the two men got up and started kicking her in her ribs so hard that -- as I speak -- the bruise stands out, looking like a plum.

During the whole assault the third male stayed in the driver's seat with the car running, shouting at the other two and instructing them what to do to her. While April was lying there dazed and hurt as well as bloody they got up and told her she was lucky they didn't rape her and that the next time they saw her they would rape her.

As she got up in a daze she went to her house nearby and told Dominicque's little sister to get a hold of someone on the phone. She called Dominicque at her school. Dominicque got home as soon as possible and as soon as she got there called the ambulance and the police. When the police arrive they questioned Dominicque and April; they treated the whole situation as if it was a waste of their time and tried to say it was self-inflicted. After Dominicque and April left for the hospital the police went into my house and looked for a razor and the tee shirt April had been wearing. The police trashed April and Dominicque's bedroom in the basement and went through the refrigerator and freezer, too.

When we talked to the detectives they treated us pretty badly and unprofessionally. They asked April if she would take a polygraph test. Once again we were being treated as if April was lying. Even the doctors and nurses at the hospital told us that if we needed them to they would write out a statement because there was no way she could have done this to herself.

I've always told my kids if anyone ever hurts you, or someone has been hurt, to go to the police. Now it's like if we don't feel safe with the police, who can we go to for help? The scary thing about the situation is that it was only a few houses away in the alley where there are lots of kids in the neighborhood. It has been a very serious impact on family and friends and especially those in then neighborhood around us and it has brought a lot of us closer.

The thing about the situation is that it is an ongoing problem that is not being solved. It has happened two times before to April and something needs to be done about this. How many times do our children have to come home beaten up and emotionally abused because of their race, sexual orientation, etc. before someone actually does something about this. You would have thought that after the Matthew Shepard murder the authorities would taken into consideration that this is a hate crime.

Thank you.
Roberta Quintana