Ashley Santiago Ocasio, a 31-year-old beauty salon owner was stripped naked, beaten severely, and shot in the head at her home in the central Puerto Rican town of Corozal. In fact, so much blood was splattered on the walls and floors of her apartment that police initially thought Ocasio was stabbed repeatedly, suggesting Ocasio may have been targeted because she was trans. Police, however, have been reluctant to call the attack a hate crime, making Ocasio’s killing the sixth in five months – including the widely-publicized stabbing and decapitation of gay teen Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado – where a 2002 hate crimes statute could have been used, but wasn’t, according to an National Gay and Lesbian Task Force spokesman.

Elsewhere…

D.C. – US Marshals and Capitol Police officers abused Autumn Sandeen, one of the four protesters who chained themselves to the White House fence along with New York Army National Guard Lt. Dan Choi to protest presidential inaction on including Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal in the “must-pass” 2011 defense spending bill. Sandeen, who is trans, was called “it” and “a shim” by officers as they processed her in a D.C. prison. (Pam’s House Blend)

D.C. – Speaking of DADT, GetEQUAL is planning a rally at the White House on May 2 to push for DADT repeal. (Towleroad)

D.C. – AmericaBlog thinks Rahm Emanuel, White House Chief of Staff, is having a hissy fit and threatening to “cut off” the LGBT community. (AmericaBlog)

D.C. – The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network is launching a new campaign to repeal DADT. (Towleroad)

Hawaii – Is Hawaii on the verge of being taken over by the religious right? A prominent local right-wing preacher claims both the Democratic and Republican candidates for governor are his ideological kin. (The Bilerico Project)

California – An Oakland gay bar has been vandalized with swastikas. (Towleroad)

New York – Heterosexuals do most of the barebacking in NYC. (Pam’s House Blend)

New York – The full audio of a “town hall” meeting among LGBT activist leaders is now online. (Michaelangelo Signorille)

Uganda – The Ugandan Cabinet recommends passing the “Kill the Gays” bill on the DL. (Box Turtle Bulletin)

Teh Interwebs – Don’t think gender identity and sexual orientation are intertwined? Think again. (The Bilerico Project)