FYI: New York antigay violence monitors found 477 reported attacks in 2002, down from 551 the previous year, according to the annual National Coalition of Anti-Violence Projects hate crime report released Friday. The report hints at an increasing severity in hate crimes, however, noting that half of the reported incidents involved assaults (up from 42 percent the previous year) and that a fifth involved assault with a weapon. Four assaults ended in murder. Nationally, the coalition found a 164 percent rise in reports from victims under 18, reflecting both the increasing number of high school students who openly identify as gay and their growing willingness to report harassment. [4/29/03]