Another Week, Another Round Of Anti-Queer Violence

Washington, DC: Communities in DC, San Francisco, and Maryland held candlelight vigils this week to mourn the passing of 35-year-old Dr. Gaurav Gopala, a gay aeronautics engineer and theater artist  who was murdered near his home on September 10, while walking towards a party dressed in drag.

Police suspect a possible hate crime and theft as they found no keys, money, or jewelry on Gopala when they found him dead from blunt trauma to the head. They still have no leads despite their ongoing investigation.

Gopala, who was from Nepal, loved the works of Shakespeare, served as cultural advisor for an upcoming staging of the Ramayana, and is survived by his partner of five years, whom he had planned to marry.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Prison guard Harry Nicoletti, 60, faces 92 criminal charges including “several counts each of institutional sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, and official oppression—which amounts to covering up the crimes or allegedly threatening others to do so,” for his alleged rape of over 20 inmates, including transgender women, and theharassment of those he believed to be homosexual. Nicoletti reportedly fondled and raped the trans woman while calling her a “weird freaky monkey” and other sexual and racial insults.

Seattle, Washington: Chris Ilovar and Lyle Evans discovered a rock was thrown through the windshield of Evans’ auto and the tires on both their cars were slashed. One of the rocks had the following message tied around it, “Get the fuck out of our neighborhood. The Bible says God forbids men committing indecent acts with other men. Pack up your shit and get your gay shit out.” The note was signed “KKK.”

A neighbor saw two white men in the alley near the time of the attack—one was about 5’10″ with a stocky, muscular build; the other was around 5’7″ with a chubby build. Both wore black.

Ilovar and Evans are installing motion detectors and additional lighting around their home to prevent further incidents. Evans said, “If the intent was to destroy or to oppress that’s not really working—it’s having the opposite effect. It’s making everyone in the community really rise up and come together and be positive and be open and vigilant around what’s happening in our neighborhood.”

Salt Lake City, Utah: Police have released a description of a suspect in the Dane Hall bashing from late August. During the assault, one of Hall’s attackers put Hall’s open mouth on the curb and stomped him, knocking out six teeth, shattering his cheekbone, breaking his jaw in three places, and jamming a piece of his jawbone into his brain. Police are investigating whether a hate crime or drugs motivated the attack.