Palm Springs
couple victims of apparent hate crime

A gay couple who had only recently moved to the city of Palm Springs, Calif., were the victims of an apparent hate crime on Tuesday night when their new apartment was burglarized and vandalized, Palm Springs's KESQ TV reports.

According to the station, someone broke in and trashed James Perre and Dan Desiato's apartment while they were at work. The couple said it was apparent from the graffiti and the personal items that were torn up that the perpetrators wanted to send a message: "We hate you because you're not like us."

The couple said they moved to Palm Springs because they know the city has a large gay population and thought they had found a place they could finally call home. Now they are thinking about moving back to North Carolina. (The Advocate)