A tragic story has come out of Puerto Rico reporting a gay youth was brutally murdered. Jorge Steven Lopez was found over the weekend – decapitated, burned, and dismembered. Many people are reporting that this was a crime simply enacted because Lopez was gay. But, the suspect tells a different story. According to the killer, Lopez allegedly told him to have anal sex with him and this provoked rage in the killer which ultimately resulted in Steven’s death. Regardless of whether the killer is telling the truth or not, that excuse in no way justifies brutal murder. This is a very tragic event that resulted in the unnecessary and violent death of such a young person.
A friend of Exodus, Charlie Hernandez, speaks of his own experience as a young Puerto Rican dealing with homosexuality and his response to this tragedy:
Since early childhood I was abused and eventually developed same sex attraction. I struggled with it and lived in fear for many years mainly because in Puerto Rico, like in all Hispanic countries, there’s a strong rejection towards homosexual behavior. The Latin community has this “macho” stereotype that ridicules and despises people who identify themselves as gay. Through a deep, meaningful and compassionate relationship with God I received healing and restoration of my sexuality about 10 years ago. It is a hateful crime.
Ever since I found my place as a son of God through Jesus Christ I understood why I experienced so much rejection and pain struggling against these desires. Since I gave my life to the Lord I have found peace and contentment with His divine design for me. That’s why I find this horrific crime to be so appalling and totally unacceptable.
According to the newspaper in Puerto Rico this 19 year old gay man was brutally dismembered because he was posing as a woman prostitute. His killer was sexually assaulted when he was in prison and when he found out that his “date” was a male he just burst out in a rampage of hate and violence. I strongly condemn any comment that this young man deserved such a vile and brutal homicide. I stand for justice and I believe that this crime should be penalized with the full weight of the law. But at the same time, as a pastor, I know that God has ways to bring spiritually conviction to this disoriented and confused man, so that he may understand and repent from what he has done.
What makes this murder more inhumane is the comment one investigator made – blaming Lopez’s homosexuality for his own death. He said, “people who lead this type of lifestyle need to be aware that this will happen”. No matter how a person identifies themselves, murder is not justifiable. It is not the job of a police officer to pass judgment on whether a person had to know they were in danger or not. The officer should be reprimanded severely for such a careless and callous statement.
Steven did not deserve to be murdered, regardless of his death being based on his sexuality or his advances toward the killer. Each human being has so much worth and value to our Creator. God is grieving the death of Lopez. Gay or not – Lopez was incredibly loved and cherished by the Father.
About Chris Stump
This tragic story underscores the need for Christians to be more vocal and more compassionate. It happened in Puerto Rico, but the reality is that young men and women, even Christians, prostitute themselves. Regardless of Jorge Lopez’ sexual orientation, the fact that at this very young age he had already devalued himself to the point of prostitution and experienced such confusion about his sexuality, is a reminder that we are missing opportunities with our young people. This is not a gay issue, it is an issue of extreme brokenness. Jorge’s search put him in danger; another man’s search collided with his. I wonder if we lived in a world where the broken could seek healing more openly if Jorge could have been led to restoration instead of falling victim to the danger of mixing his brokenness with the apparent brokenness of the one who killed him . . . a man seeking a prostitute. The church needs to model redemption and restoration, for the sake of many who, like Jorge, are looking for acceptance.
Thom
This tragic story underscores the need for Christians to be more vocal and more compassionate. It happened in Puerto Rico, but the reality is that young men and women, even Christians, prostitute themselves. Regardless of Jorge Lopez’ sexual orientation, the fact that at this very young age he had already devalued himself to the point of prostitution and experienced such confusion about his sexuality, is a reminder that we are missing opportunities with our young people. This is not a gay issue, it is an issue of extreme brokenness. Jorge’s search put him in danger; another man’s search collided with his. I wonder if we lived in a world where the broken could seek healing more openly if Jorge could have been led to restoration instead of falling victim to the danger of mixing his brokenness with the apparent brokenness of the one who killed him . . . a man seeking a prostitute. The church needs to model redemption and restoration, for the sake of many who, like Jorge, are looking for acceptance.
Thom
Hard as it is to hear, there is one point that I believe we need to get here, and it in no way justifies this kind of crime. It goes, rather, to the heart of trying to better understand such situations. Surely, we are not going to dismiss offhandedly the fact that these scenarios — of a kind of emotional entrapment, if you will — do not, in fact, sometimes occur. Was the police officer merely trying to do his job by warning of the inherent dangers of such cases? Maybe, maybe not. But I can point to statistics on violence kept by some organizations that actually seek to teach gay youths, especially, about the dangers to life and limb that this kind of posing can lead to.
Just as we would never assign culpability to Matthew Shepard for his brutal murder — even though all the facts of that encounter have never been clearly established — we would also be loath to say such a thing in this case. But how do we properly address the real risks to gays who may have unwittingly placed themselves in harm’s way with some volatile, and maybe drunk stranger?
If we are afraid we must be too politically correct (and we are seeing how that concern may have actually contributed to the horrible tragedy at Ft. Hood recently), are we also helping to facilitate an atmosphere where tragedies such as this young man’s murder may occur by ignoring his particular kind of vulnerability? It’s a sobering thought. I don’t think we can readily dismiss it.
Hard as it is to hear, there is one point that I believe we need to get here, and it in no way justifies this kind of crime. It goes, rather, to the heart of trying to better understand such situations. Surely, we are not going to dismiss offhandedly the fact that these scenarios — of a kind of emotional entrapment, if you will — do not, in fact, sometimes occur. Was the police officer merely trying to do his job by warning of the inherent dangers of such cases? Maybe, maybe not. But I can point to statistics on violence kept by some organizations that actually seek to teach gay youths, especially, about the dangers to life and limb that this kind of posing can lead to.
Just as we would never assign culpability to Matthew Shepard for his brutal murder — even though all the facts of that encounter have never been clearly established — we would also be loath to say such a thing in this case. But how do we properly address the real risks to gays who may have unwittingly placed themselves in harm’s way with some volatile, and maybe drunk stranger?
If we are afraid we must be too politically correct (and we are seeing how that concern may have actually contributed to the horrible tragedy at Ft. Hood recently), are we also helping to facilitate an atmosphere where tragedies such as this young man’s murder may occur by ignoring his particular kind of vulnerability? It’s a sobering thought. I don’t think we can readily dismiss it.
It breaks my heart to see the anger, and hate, toward those that are different. Are we so insecure that we are threatened by those who are not like us or do not have the same opinions, belief’s that we have? All of us want approval, security, acceptance, yet, we struggle to give it to those we come in contact with on a daily basis. We need to be honest with ourselves about who we are, what are our values? how we want to be treated, and how we treat others. Every one of us have been created by the same creator. There is a purpose for your life, we are accountable to God who created me and created you. None of us are better than the other regardless of where we are in life, what we are going through, our economic status, where we live, who our parents are, what education we have or do not have. Why do we think that we have a right to tell others how to live. The only right we have is to treat ourselves and others with the same respect. Regardless of the reason for those who are in one lifestyle or another, your primary goal is to please your creator, learn about HIm, share what He has done for you. Live your life for Him. It is indeed a challange but that is where this organization can help you. I trust God will lead you in the direction that will give you security, peace, unconditional love, in a trusting relationship in Christ.
It breaks my heart to see the anger, and hate, toward those that are different. Are we so insecure that we are threatened by those who are not like us or do not have the same opinions, belief’s that we have? All of us want approval, security, acceptance, yet, we struggle to give it to those we come in contact with on a daily basis. We need to be honest with ourselves about who we are, what are our values? how we want to be treated, and how we treat others. Every one of us have been created by the same creator. There is a purpose for your life, we are accountable to God who created me and created you. None of us are better than the other regardless of where we are in life, what we are going through, our economic status, where we live, who our parents are, what education we have or do not have. Why do we think that we have a right to tell others how to live. The only right we have is to treat ourselves and others with the same respect. Regardless of the reason for those who are in one lifestyle or another, your primary goal is to please your creator, learn about HIm, share what He has done for you. Live your life for Him. It is indeed a challange but that is where this organization can help you. I trust God will lead you in the direction that will give you security, peace, unconditional love, in a trusting relationship in Christ.