By ERICA WELLS and, BIANCA SYMONETTE, Guardian News Desk

Outraged members of the gay community in New Providence are compiling a list of names of reported homosexual Bahamians whose murders remain unsolved, The Nassau Guardian was told last night.

The move is hoped to bring attention to the community's concerns surrounding what appears to be a trend of unsolved murders of gays, and follows the murder of Jamaican Marvin Wilson, one of four recent violent murders involving men who were reportedly homosexual.

It also comes amid growing fears that the deaths may be connected.

"I have been approached by members of the community offering their assistance," said Erin Greene, a spokesperson for the country's gay advocacy group Rainbow Alliance of The Bahamas. "[In addition to the list] some members are also working with a regional group known as CARIFLAG (Caribbean Forum of Lesbians, AU-Sexuals and Gays) that has an ongoing project to archive within communities the murders of gay citizens and those unsolved murders."

While the killings have sparked a level of concern in the local gay community, well-placed sources have told The Guardian that most members of that community do not feel the murders are random.

"There may be a serial killer but the target is very specific and it is not random," said the source. "So there is no panic [within the community]."

According to the source, while some speculate that the murders of international handbag designer Harl Taylor, COB dean Thaddaeus McDonald and AIDS activist Wellington Adderley may have been connected, the latest murder — of Wilson, who was stabbed to death at his Collins Avenue apartment early Tuesday morning — is probably not connected to the first three.

It has been suggested by a police source that Wilson's murder was probably not planned, as he was killed by a dagger from his own collection.

The murders of McDonald, Taylor, Adderley and Wilson are among what has been described as a long list of reported homosexuals whose cases remain unsolved.

McDonald and Taylor were brutally killed in November last year, and Adderley was found lying in a pool of blood in his Delancey Street apartment on May 26. Wilson was stabbed at his apartment but died moments later at the Princess Margaret Hospital from his wounds. None of the crime scenes had any signs of forced entry.

And while police said yesterday that they continued to receive information into Adderley's and Wilson's murder, it appeared that they were no closer to charging anyone in connection with any of the four murders, up to press time last night.

However, according to Inspector Christopher Wright of the Central Detective Unit, officers have received "pertinent" information to assist with the Adderley case.

Officially, police say there is nothing to suggest that the murders are connected; however, unofficially police are reportedly looking into the possibility of a connection.

In the meantime, Greene said the gay community is extremely concerned about the rise in violence in general, but as an ostracized and vulnerable community within the country, the community is even more concerned about the murders of gays.

"These four murders are only four of what seem to be a trend of unsolved murders of gays," Greene said.

Greene also urged anyone with information that could help police with their investigations to come forward.

And she urged Bahamians to think about the ways homophobia and intolerance generally have an affect on violence in the country at large.

Greene also encouraged all Bahamians, and gay Bahamians in particular, to remain calm and stay safe.

She said: "The best way to stay safe is to live and socialize in a safe, healthy environment, and we create a safe and healthy environment by being honest with ourselves, our families, our lovers and our neighbors."