Content warning: Hate crime, murder
Two suspects come forward in Puerto Rico murder case
On Monday, September 25, two Puerto Rican men pled guilty to the murder of a Trans woman, Alexa Negron Luciano, over three years ago, on February 24, 2020, in Toa Baja. Luciano's body was found on the side of the road, riddled with bullet holes. Luciano was 29 and houseless at the time of her death.
Two of the three men involved admitted to using paintball guns to kill Luciano. They said they spotted a social media post about Luciano using a women's bathroom and plotted to kill her. The men recorded themselves assaulting Luciano just hours before she was killed and posted that to social media.
The FBI had offered a $50,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of her killers.
A trial date has yet to be set.
Turkish president bashes UN for including "Pride colors" in latest summit
On Thursday, September 21, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan complained to the United Nations that he was uncomfortable with the organizing body's decorative choices. The UN's Sustainable Development Goals Summit in New York City included colorful banners, which the president interpreted as "LGBT colors." Erdogan was disappointed he did not get the chance to discuss the decorations with UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
Turkey's government has embraced new anti-LGBTQ+ laws in recent years, with Erdogan frequently referring to Queer people as "deviants."
"One of the issues that bother me the most is that when entering the United Nations General Assembly, you see the LGBT colors on steps and other places," Erodgan said to broadcaster Haberturk following the meeting. "How many LGBT are there in the world right now? However much right now they have on these steps, those against LGBT have as much right as well."
Following Erdogan's complaints, UN diplomats clarified that the colors on the floor were not representative of the LGBTQ+ community but set to represent the different goals proposed by the Sustainable Development Summit. There are currently no LGBTQ+ flags or Pride promotional decorations at the UN headquarters.