Police are still investigating the attack but it is probable that Rudow knew his attacker. The downtown apartment complex is gated and secured. Rudow or another resident would have to allowed the attacker into the complex.

Gay men have long been targeted my criminals who seek to rob, rape or kill their targets. The internet has only caused the danger to increase in that many gay men turn to internet chat rooms and sites like mandate.com and adam4adam.com to seek out anonymous sex partners. These internet enabled encounters have increasingly resulted in crime.

Buffalo Police have indicated that the murder of Christopher Rudow could be the result of such encounter but are unwilling to characterize the crime until they further investigate the incident.

Some local activist fear that there could be someone using the internet or gay bars to target gay men for violent attacks.

Buffalo resident Bruce Kogan is a retired staffer from the New York State Crime Victims Board.

Kogan offers, "Almost 30 years ago in New York City, I remember a man named Bulloch who stalked and targeted gay men. I had to pay funeral claims for two of his victims thru the Crime Victims Board. Now thirty years later the news of something like this in Buffalo is too horrible to contemplate."

Anti-gay violence is usually a crime that does not get reported. The closet, fear of retribution and a false sense of shame are all factors when the target of anti-gay violence decides to not call the police.

In 1997 Local activist along with members of the Buffalo Common Council and Buffalo Mayor Anthony Masiello worked with the Buffalo Police Department to establish a liason relationship with glbt community and the Buffalo Police department. Chief Donna Berry has worked with activist since that time around the anti-gay violence incidents and issues.

Those series of meetings also resulted in the addition of a hate crimes check off box being added to the Police incident report forms and created a process that would allow the Buffalo Police Departments Sexual Offense Squad to process criminal complaint while keeping the names of the victims shielded from public disclosure.

Safe isn't just about Sex

General Safety Tips — Help prevent an attack

∗ Mix your own drinks/Don’t leave drinks unattended: Getting you drunk or giving you knockout drops is an easy way to cloud your judgment.

∗ Find out who your date is: Ask for your date’s first name, where they work and live, what they like and do not like. Ask around if anyone knows the person.

∗ Introduce your date to others: Introduce your date to your friends or the bartender. Tell a friend where you are going. Make sure your date knows you spread the word about them.

∗ Protect your valuables: Do not carry extra cash. If you bring someone home, do not leave your wallet, cash or valuables in sight. Your possessions and the person you brought home could all be gone while you are in the shower or sleeping.

Online Safety Tips — Keep yourself safe

∗ Protect your security. Never give anyone else your password. No matter why they say they need it or who they say they are, they don’t. If someone asks you for your password, report them to your online service provider. If you think someone knows your password, change it.

∗ Protect your privacy. Surfing the ‘net seems anonymous, but Web sites you visit may gather your e-mail address or other information, or record which sites you’ve visited in a "cookie" which they or another site can retrieve later, without your knowledge or consent. Learn about the privacy and security features of your Web browser, and use them. For example, you may want to get a warning if a site tries to give you a cookie, or disable cookies altogether. You can customize your Web browser’s e-mail settings to use a pseudonym instead of your real name, and a blank or false e-mail address. If you want to give someone your real name or e-mail address, you can give it to them in your message.

∗ Be cautious about revealing information that could identify you. For example, if you give someone your listed phone number, they can get your real name and street address.

∗ Remember that when you meet someone you've chatted with online, you're really meeting them for the first time. When you’re online you don’t have non-verbal cues such as voice inflection or body language to guide your judgement of their honesty or intentions.