Anti-gay crimes spike in NYC, rally planned to denounce violence

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NBC New York – Gay activists and supporters shaken by a series of violent attacks, including a fatal shooting in the West Village on Friday, plan to rally Monday as statistics show anti-gay crimes have nearly doubled this year.

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center announced a 5:30 p.m. rally on 13th Street, followed by a march to West Eighth Street and Sixth Avenue, where a 32-year-old man was shot and killed Friday after his alleged assailant hurled anti-gay slurs.

The NYPD said Monday that there have been 24 anti-gay crimes so far this year, compared with 14 during the same period in 2012.

Earlier this month, a gay couple was attacked on West 32nd Street and beaten so severely that one of the men needed eye surgery. And days before that, another gay couple was assaulted by a group of men in the same area near Madison Square Garden.

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