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Today - The New York City Anti-Violence Project’s (AVP) Executive Director, Sharon Stapel, joined President Obama on stage as he signed a reauthorized Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the first federal bill to contain LGBT-inclusive anti-discrimination provisions.  This bill represents two years of continuous work by AVP through our National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) program, and is a tremendous victory for all LGBT people in the United States.  Shortly before today's bill signing Sharon Stapel and a small group of advocates met with Vice President Biden, the sponsor of the original VAWA passed in 1994.

Today - The New York City Anti-Violence Project (AVP) is pleased to announce that Senator Thomas K. Duane, a longstanding advocate against violence and for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) and HIV-affected communities, has joined AVP's Board. AVP is a 33 year-old organization that empowers LGBTQ and HIV-affected communities and allies to end all forms of violence through organizing and education, and supports survivors of violence through counseling and advocacy.

AVP has learned of reports of ongoing incidents of same-gender sexual violence at the Bronx High School of Science that occurred between December 2012 and February 2013. According to a criminal complaint obtained by CBS New York, three male members of the school's track team have been charged with sexual abuse of a younger male teammate. According to multiple media reports, the incidents included ongoing sexual assault as well as threats of rape.

The opening line of HuffPost senior political reporter Amanda Terkel's Feb. 27 piece "Obama Circumvents Gridlocked Congress To Advance LGBT Rights" caught my eye: "Don't expect any landmark gay rights bills in the 113th Congress." Though I don't disagree generally with Terkel's assessment of the 113th Congress when it comes to LGBT rights, I would like to point out one significant counterexample: Last week the 113th Congress passed a landmark LGBT rights bill, the new Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Read the full article here »

The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) has learned that a "gay panic" defense might be used by the suspect in the homicide of Mississippi Mayoral Candidate, Marco McMillian. McMillian was found dead on Wednesday, February 27th near the bank of the Mississippi River just west of Clarksdale, Mississippi, the town where he had been a mayoral hopeful. Lawrence Reed was arrested for the homicide, and it is being reported that the two men may have had an intimate relationship during the approximately two weeks that they knew one another. It is also being reported that Reed, who identifies as straight, may have "snapped" as a result of sexual advances on the part of McMillian. Police have ruled out a hate crime in this case so far, something that some of McMillian's friends and family members want reconsidered due to the brutal nature of the homicide. According to his family, McMillian had been beaten and burned.