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NCAVP mourns the death of Leon Frazier III, a black man of 60 years, who was fatally stabbed on the evening of April 9 in West Park, FL. According to local media reports, Johnny Edward Granger, 53, confessed to the crime and has been arrested. Granger is facing a premeditated murder charge and being held without bond.
Both Frazier and Granger were housemates at the rooming house where the incident occurred. Granger said he stabbed Frazier because he thought he was “making sexual advances” toward him.
Frazier, who had just celebrated his 60th birthday, is remembered by family and friends as a lively person and talented musician. We send our love and care to his loved ones.
As we reported in the NCAVP Crisis of Hate report there has been a significant increase in reports of anti-LGBTQ homicides of queer, bi, and gay cisgender men. Of the homicides reported, 32% knew the offender. We must promote affirming and factual messaging around sex and sexuality to remove the stigma and thus create safe spaces for our communities. If you need support in these difficult times, you can always reach out to your local NCAVP member.
We encourage LGBTQ and HIV-affected community members to get support and stay safe, including when dating or hooking up online. We can help even if the incident isn’t reported to the police and we keep all information confidential.
We know it can be hard to read these reports of violence against our communities. If you or someone you know is experiencing violence, you can reach our free bilingual national hotline at 212-714-1141 or report online for support.
NCAVP works to prevent, respond to, and end all forms of violence against and within lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) and HIV-affected communities. NCAVP is a national coalition of local member programs and affiliate organizations who create systemic and social change. NCAVP is a program of the New York City Anti-Violence Project.