Join The Impact is about visibility. It’s about showing this country that if you mess with one of us, you have to face ALL of us. It’s about uniting as one strong and fierce community to gain the basic human rights that EVERY HUMAN BEING DESERVES. It’s about coming together to celebrate, and coming together to mourn.
On December 13th, a woman in the San Francisco Bay area was brutally beaten and gang raped for being a lesbian. The news just broke a little under 9 hours ago. We need to let this woman know that she is not alone. We need to let her know that our ENTIRE community is there for her. For her safety, her name has not been released. I have spoken with the Richmond, CA police department and learned that there are some initiatives already underway to support her. Soon, a trust will be setup where people can donate directly to her, which will help her get on her feet and feel more secure. I will keep everyone posted when that is set. Also, the Richmond PD is checking to see if we can send letters and holiday cards to any specific destination that can then deliver those letters to her.
First we must show her that she is not alone. Next, we must show the nation that we will not stand for this! On January 10th we are having national rallies to protest DOMA and remind President-Elect Barack Obama of the promises he made in his Open Letter to the Gay Community. We must also focus on stronger hate crimes legislation and use this time as an opportunity to bring attention to this horrible crime, and the 1400 hate crimes that occur each year against the LGBTQ community. We will work with you on ideas to ensure this happens.
From my conversation with the Richmond PD, it is clear that they are taking this issue to heart and working hard on behalf of this woman. Not all cities and towns are like this. We need to work together as a community to ensure that atrocities like this do not go unnoticed, or unpunished. We need to make it harder for someone to hurt another just because they are LGBTQ. We need to show the nation that hatred toward our community is NOT ACCEPTABLE.
While you celebrate your holidays, I encourage you to start the conversation of equality by making everyone aware of this horrible atrocity. Share her story with friends and family. Tell allies, and tell those who do not yet understand. In a world where the government does not see us as equal, an expectation is set for everyone, and it is a low one. If our government does not see us as worthy, why should others? The final quote in the article sums it up perfectly: “Anytime there is an anti-LGBT initiative, we tend to see spikes both in the numbers and the severity of attacks… People feel this extra entitlement to act out their prejudice.”
People NEED to learn about this event. Too many people think that Matthew Sheppard was the last to be attacked (as crazy as that sounds, it’s true). We need to be visible in EVERY WAY and, too often, events like this go unnoticed. Too few people understand how the treatment of our community under the law, drives “extra entitlement” for those that hate us. We are better than this! Our country is and should be better than this! NO MORE SILENCE!
UPDATE - the JoinTheImpact Alliance Coordinator created an event on Facebook to raise money:
Event: Help A Sister Out
“Benefit for Hate Rape Victim”
What: Fundraiser
Host: Matt Flanders
Start Time: Tuesday, December 22 at 5:00pm
End Time: Thursday, December 31 at 5:00pm
Where: From Your Heart
To see more details and RSVP, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=40712604850
11 Responses
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Please keep us updated. Our wishes go out to the survivor and her loved ones.
Posted on December 23rd, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Whoever you are, you are in my thoughts this holiday season.
Posted on December 24th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Please go to this site and donate and/or leave a message for our sister who needs to know that we’re here for her.
thanks!
Posted on December 25th, 2008 at 2:16 am
Please go to this site and donate and/ or leave a message for our sister who needs to know that we’re here for her.
http://tatasworld.typepad.com/were_here_for_you/
thanks!
Posted on December 25th, 2008 at 2:18 am
I blame the Religious Right and those alike for any violance towards gays, much like the lynching of blacks, religion is always behing hatred!
Posted on December 26th, 2008 at 5:54 am
This really has upset me so…I can not believe that these acts of hate are being committed here in America. I really thought Americans would prove to be better than this. Better than to show the rest of the world that so many in our country are uncivilized. For those who think that being gay is a choice and that we should control ourselves (Rick Warren), you should begin speaking to those committing violent acts as those are actions that can be controlled. If society continues to allow this behavior against us, it will soon see that this violence will begin to spread towards other individuals. These men that have committed this act should be seen in the same way that those involved in the “Jenna 6″ incident were viewed. America should stand up and stand out against violence of any kind. My thoughts are with the woman that this happened to. Please know that so many are thinking of you at this time and wishing you a swift recovery!
Posted on December 26th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Hi all,
I want to bring your attention to an article I read the other day about this. Here’s the link. I want to point out that in it a man who is interviewed says that anytime that there are anti-gay initiatives there is a rise in hate crimes against lgbt people. I fully support what the girl from Atlanta has said. It is absolutely correct. This kind of hatred needs to be dealt with head on and challenged. Public officials and politicians need to know that their actions and there words can fuel and spark hatred in ways that are so horrific.
Posted on December 27th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Sorry all I forgot to put in the link above. Here it is.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/22/lesbians-gang-rape-shocks_n_153014.html.
I think it is important that people realize that there is an actual correlation between anti-gay violence and anti-gay initiatives
Posted on December 27th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
I just wanted to say that I’ve been thinking about doing things like this in Chicago. The fact that these acts of violence still occur (on a more regular basis than many realize) is sickening.
The problem is that so many haven’t taken the time to care (yet) or they just haven’t been exposed to the fact that things like this still happen.
While we work so hard on the marriage movement, we need to remember as a community that other issues are at hand. I am excited that we are showing support like this, and hope it happens in the future.
I’ll be spreading the word.
Posted on December 27th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Three suspects have been arrested. Police are still looking for the fourth. Thank you JTI, leads came in from the community.
I am sure our visibility action worked!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090101/ap_on_re_us/lesbian_rape;_ylt=AnUndsCWAlF.NuWuz_T_NWsuQE4F
Posted on January 1st, 2009 at 6:30 pm
As of 4:00 pm, 1/1/09, all four suspects are in custody. What a great way to start the New Year!
Posted on January 2nd, 2009 at 3:00 am
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