Last year, 29 gay, lesbian and transgender Americans were victims of hate crime murders.

In late October, President Obama signed into law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which among other classifications added sexual orientation and gender identity to the federal hate crimes statute.

While that appeared to be a cause for celebration, it is the beginning, not the end, for America addressing homophobia in its schools, communities and culture. The FBI recently reported that in 2008 hate crimes were up two percent than the prior year. Sexual orientation and gender identity hate crimes increased by 11 percent. One in six hate crimes was perpetrated on gay, lesbian and transgender citizens.

That need for a national call to consciousness was underlined on Nov. 14 when Jorge Lopez Mercado, a 19-year-old student from Caguas, Puerto Rico was found by the side of the road burned, decapitated and with all limbs dismembered from his torso. This crime would be shocking if it occurred in Baghdad or Kabul and is all the more horrific having occurred in a U.S. territory.

Jorge was a well-liked and openly gay teen. He was active in HIV prevention and gay civil rights. The police have arrested Juan Martinez, a 26-year-old father of four. With the slaying of Martinez, the GLBT community has called on U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder for a federal investigation and the first prosecution under the Matthew Shepard Act. In 2002, Puerto Rico included sexual orientation in their hate crimes statute. Despite hate crimes against GLBT citizens, there have been no prosecutions.

About the same day that Jorge was butchered, James Mattison, Jr., a 15-year-old African American high school student from Baltimore was found dead. His body was stuffed in a closet. James was a popular, academically gifted and openly gay teen. His dream was to become a pediatrician.

James was found raped and bludgeoned to the head and throat. The accused Dante Parish is a 35-year-old with a record of violence.

Clearly hate is not isolated to the GLBT community or amongst youth – it is a learned behavior from adults.

Police in Calabasas, Calif. are investigating the assault of a 12-year-old boy that, they believe, may have been inspired by a Facebook post declaring Friday, Nov. 20 “Kick a Ginger Day.” The hate-filled day stemmed from a 2008 “South Park” episode that satirically featured pale, redheaded, freckled children, or “gingers,” as being singled out for abuse.

This year’s “celebration” was unfortunately not so uneventful, as a student at A.E. Wright Middle School found himself on the receiving end of punches and kicks from as many as 14 classmates, according to the Associated Press.

Our public schools need to be safe havens for all students. The pejoratives “faggot” and “that’s so gay” are regularly uttered in almost all schools without sanction. Other hate-filled terms are used even more frequently.

Still, we know people are not born to hate. Hate is a learned behavior that begins early in life as children watch their parents and relatives as well as their peers on the play ground. Hate is a product of ignorance and is fueled by fear and anger. Hate can be “unlearned” through education and awareness.

As Ghandi said, “You must be the change that you want to see in the world.”

While mainstream media has made noteworthy strides in the portrayal and coverage of gays and lesbians, there were few news accounts of the gruesome hate crime murders of Jorge Lopez and Jason Mattison, Jr.

If we are to change the dynamic of hate geared toward our children, we must use Jorge and Jason’s murders as a call for a national discussion to include GLBT Americans in the pursuit of a more perfect and inclusive America.

Miriam Mercado, Jorge Lopez Mercado’s mother said it best, “When my son told me he was gay, I told him, ‘Now, I love you more.’ I want to tell the world that hatred is not born with human beings, it is a seed that is planted by adults and is fostered by creating a climate of intolerance and violence. We must change our ways and understand that anyone...could have been my son. And I want everybody to know that Jorge was a very much loved son.”