March and Rally this Saturday
Raise Our Voices Against Anti-LGTB Hate
in Our City and in Our Neighborhoods
When: Saturday, June 17
Where: Gather at NE Corner of 14th Street and First Avenue at 2PM; march at 3PM to Christopher Park (Christopher & West 4th Streets)
Why: In the last week - as unfortunately happens so often in June - a number of hate incidents have impacted our community in neighborhoods around the city:
Saturday, June 10, 12:30 AM - East Village, Manhattan
On his way home, Kevin Aviance is brutally attacked by a group of men yelling anti-gay slurs
Saturday, June 10, 1:10 AM - Astoria, Queens
A group of three friends are attacked by a larger group yelling anti-gay and racist epithets and wielding a baseball bat
Sunday, June 11, 5:45 AM - Astoria, Queens
A man is followed off of an "N" train by another man who harassed him with anti-gay language, pushed him down elevated platform exit stairs to the street, and kicked and punched repeatedly.
Make your voice heard...
...we will not be targeted even as we celebrate our History, our Pride and our Survival...
Stand up and be counted Saturday...but anti-LGTB hate happens all year long...
...what you will do to help stop anti-LGTB hate and help those who fall victim to it after the March is over...
Community Partners in this Effort include: the NYC Gay & Lesbian Anti-Violence Project, the Ali Forney Center, Dignity New York, Empire State Pride Agenda, Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Gay Men of African Descent, Hedda Lettuce, Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn, the Latino Commission on AIDS, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, mano a mano, Metropolitan Community Church, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, New York State Black Gay Network, NYC Council Member Rosie Mendez, NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn, NYS Assembly Member Sylvia Friedman, NYS Assembly Member Deborah Glick, NYS Assemblymember Danny O’Donnell, NYS Senator Tom Duane, People of Color in Crisis, Queens District Leader Daniel Dromm, Rashawn Brazell Memorial Fund, Stonewall Democrats, Unity Fellowship Church of Christ, list in formation
Safety Tips
Please note that none of the following is a guarantee of safety, they're only tips that can be helpful:
1. Be aware of your surroundings
- Who's around you?
- What are they doing?
- Are they paying attention to you?
2. Try not to travel alone:
- Traveling in groups can sometimes (but by no means always) dissuade likely attackers. Hate violence perpetrators are cowards and there are almost always more of them than there are of you.
3. Don't let your guard down just because you're in a "queer" area:
- About 25% of anti-LGTB incidents in the New York area happen in places that we think of as being "safe" for our community: in or around bars, nightclubs or LGTB institutions, streets in LGTB-identified areas of the city, and cruising areas.
4. What to do if you are the victim of an incident:
- If you need immediate assistance, call 911
- Report the incident to the Anti-Violence Project at: 212-714-1141; our counselors and volunteers are here to help you 24 hours a day. All services are free and confidential.
5. What to do if you witness an incident:
- Call 911 if someone is in immediate danger.
- Make it clear to 911 what the danger is; this may make the difference in getting a quicker response.
- Call the Anti-Violence Project's 24-hour, bilingual hotline (212-714-1141) to let them know what you've seen.
- If you speak with the victim(s), share the Anti-Violence Project’s hotline number and encourage them to call the Anti-Violence Project. There are probably supports and services that can help them pay medical bills, get free support and other services.
