In just a year and a half, the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community of Puerto Rico has been rocked by the deaths of 18 of its members, with three murdered in the last week alone. The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States and is not a sovereign State like the other 50 which appear on the United States flag. Pedro Julio Serrano, communications manger for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force said there has been a “spike in violence against the LGBT people since the ‘80s, when we had a serial killer who killed 27 gay men.”

The law was proposed in Uganda’s Parliament following a visit by leaders of U.S. conservative Christian ministries that promote therapy for gays to become heterosexual. However, at least one of those leaders has denounced the bill, as have some other conservative and liberal Christians in the United States.

Data released by the FBI shows that hate crimes in the United States has reached a seven-year high, yet another increase from 2005′s report. 64 hate crimes related to sexual orientation or gender identity happened here in Kentucky.