RC
Articles
BB Network
BB eBooks
Lifted Hearts Links
NetworkOur
eBooks
Female to Female: The Ultimate
Guide to Lesbian Sex
Man to Man: The Ultimate
Guide to Gay Sex
Cunnilingus Academy: Curl her toes
with these tips and techniques
The Big eBook
of Gay and Lesbian Poetry
The Gay Man's Guide
to Getting Laid
How to Have a Successful
Same-Sex Relationship
Proud
member of
the
Network |
- |
The Rainbow Clause:
Giving us the right to choose who; where; when; why; and how.
A Matter of Life and Death
Violent hate crimes are the worst case scenario
for gays battling discrimination
The names Matthew Shepard and Brandon Teena
are familiar to us because of the widespread press coverage their murders
generated. But for every incident that receives national attention there
are dozens - or more - that go unreported or unrecognized. Members of the
gay and lesbian community live every day with the knowledge that people they
have never met are willing to target them for violence. Living in fear is
not the answer; educating and protecting ourselves is.
The victims of hate crimes are not only injured
physically, but psychologically. Studies have shown that gay men and lesbians
who were attacked because of their sexual orientation suffer much more severe
after effects than those who have been the victim of random incidents where
their sexuality was not an issue. These after effects include severe depression
and anxiety. Hate crimes against gays and lesbians are more common than you
might think. A study conducted by psychologists at University of California
Davis found that of 2,000 San Francisco-area gay men polled, more than one
in five reported being physically assaulted at some point since the age of
sixteen because of their orientation.
Support for Anti-Discrimination Laws
The fight against hate crimes got a huge boost
when in 1997 then-President Bill Clinton sponsored a White House conference
to address the issue. Since that time lawmakers have successfully passed
legislation that make the penalties for hate crimes stiffer at both the state
and federal levels, and that facilitate the gathering of information on the
prevalence of hate crimes. Thirty-two states and the District of Columbia
have hate crime laws that include sexual orientation in their wording; of
these, ten also include gender identity. Fourteen states have hate crime
laws on the books but do not include sexual orientation in their
descriptions, and four U.S. states do not have any hate crime laws at all.
To learn more about hate crime legislation in your state and how you can
support such laws, visit the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force web site
at www.thetaskforce.org.
Dealing with an Assault
All of us, regardless of our sexual orientation,
are at risk of being assaulted at some point in our lives. We take the necessary
precautions to keep ourselves safe, and most of the time this is enough.
However if you are ever the victim of a crime, especially one that you feel
was motivated by your sexuality, it is important that you report the incident
to the authorities.
First and foremost, seek medical treatment.
If you have a cell phone or can get to a phone, dial 911 and ask for an
ambulance. If you are able to drive yourself, go immediately to the nearest
emergency room. Even if you think you are alright, you may have sustained
injuries that need attention. The hospital will also be able to put you in
touch with a counselor who can help you come to terms with what you've
experienced.
Next, contact the police department to report
the crime. You may want to press charges against your attacker; even if you
don't, a police report might be necessary for you to receive coverage from
your medical insurance. Be sure to get the responding officer's name and
badge number in case you need to speak to him or her again. Obtain a copy
of the officer's report for your own records and be sure to let the officer
know if you wish to indicate that this was a hate or bias crime.
If at any time you feel that your report is
not being taken seriously or that the officer in question is not helping
you, file a complaint with the police department. You might also wish to
engage a lawyer to be sure that your interests are represented.
For more information about hate crimes and their
effect on the gay and lesbian community, visit
www.hatecrime.org,
www.aclu.org, or
www.glaad.org.
Back
to Articles |
