Anger Turns to Action

This post was submitted by Chris Farris, resident of Adams Morgan, DC lawyer and co-founder of Crack.
Ten years ago this week, the country was shocked to learn about the beating and death of Matthew Shepard. It scared and angered the entire American GLBT community into different forms of action. Many of us marched to the drumbeat of “Never Again.”Several weeks ago, I posted an article about my friend, Todd, who had been savagely beaten in busy Adams Morgan along with two other friends while being called a fag.

The brutality of his beating – combined with the gay hatred that fueled it – infuriated me and spurred me to write the post, which included disturbing pictures of Todd’s face and neck after the attack. While I was writing that article, two other gay men were beaten while being called fags outside of Playbill on 14^th Street, a fact I noted in the article.

I was not at all prepared for the response, which has renewed my faith in our community and ourselves.



Many, many people e-mailed and called me and TNG. And so did the media – Channel 5, Channel 8, Channel 7, the Blade, MW, the City Paper, and others. Word spread fast, and stories started to come out.

Pete Perry, a local peace activist, and David Mariner, the Acting Director of the DC Center, brought a small group of 8 people, including me and Todd, together to see what we might be able to do to counter what the post observed – and several agreed – seemed to be an alarming increase in violence against the GLBT community. The 8 of us decided to tackle a couple of issues and concerns right away (such as learning about hate crimes statistics, reaching out to the Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit of the Metropolitan Police Department, and raising awareness of the issue through media and other outlets, much as the TNG had allowed me to do by posting my article about Todd). We were also lucky in that two of the most recent leaders of a group called GLOV (Gays and Lesbians Opposing Violence) were at the meeting, educated us on their efforts in the 1990s, and gave us permission to use their name and resurrect their excellent work.

We did not know at our meeting that the night before, a man named Tony Randolph Hunter had been jumped and beaten as he left his parked car to walk one block to BeBar. Randolph, as he was known to his friends, died after being on life support for 10 days. A few weeks ago, a young gay couple was chased down P Street as they left Halo while being called fags – the offender threw a brick at them as they tried to get to their home, followed them home, and noted to them that he now knows where they live. That same weekend, two gay men were attacked at the C&O Canal in Georgetown while the offenders cited the Koran to them - one was knocked unconscious by a bottle of vodka. We are also learning about the disturbing possibility of 3 separate murders of black lesbians (or perceived lesbians) over the past several weeks.

All of these incidents are alarming and frustrating, and as people hear about them the one question I am repeatedly asked is, “Are hate crimes against the GLBT Community in DC increasing?” The unfortunate answer is, “I don’t know.” However, on a certain level, I think the question misses the point. While we obviously need to get a handle on the actual statistics so we can better scope the issue and represent the trends, whether incidents like those we have been hearing about are an increase in actual incidents or whether it is just an increase in our awareness of them, we should be angry, and we should react. Increase or not, too many incidents are happening, and they are striking justifiable fear into the heart of our community.

I thought it would be helpful to share what we have learned over the past several weeks, and what we hope to accomplish moving forward.

Here is what we know:

** In DC, hate crimes based on sexual orientation outnumber hate crimes based on all other categories combined – averaging between 75% and 85% 65% and 75% of all hate crimes reported annually. This is far outside the norm of the country, where hate crimes based on sexual orientation account for only about 15% of all hate crimes reported.

** Statistics are a lagging indicator of increases in crime – if there is a spike, it will take time for that to show up in the numbers (right now, we only have statistics through July). Moreover, statistics do not measure intensity.

** It seems – and we are still trying to get our arms around this – that even if crimes are not committed out of specific and identifiable anit-GLBT bias, the GLBT community is still being disproportionately impacted based on proximity to bars. Many of the crimes have occurred as people were going to or from gay bars, which leads us to think that gays are being victimized in muggings (or what I call “mugging plus”, since they often include gratuitous punches or throw-downs to the ground) either because they may be impaired by alcohol or perceived to be easy targets or thought to have cash or other items of value in their possession. Hate Crime Statistics do not capture these types of crimes, so it is difficult to quantify the disproportionate impact these crimes have on the GLBT community.

** Reported incidents of anti-GLBT incidents (whether criminal or just offensive conduct) have not increased (as of July) over this period last year. However, at this point we only have numbers through July, and of course the numbers are limited to what is actually reported to the police, what the police classify as hate crime, and whether all police departments reports (for example, it is unclear at this point whether the Park Police, various campus police departments, or the US Capital Police report hate crimes – this is something we are still investigating).

** The Metropolitan Police Department is reacting well to us – they have been responsive, accessible, and open. We will continue to work with them, but the initial reactions have been positive, productive, and helpful.

Here is what we want to do about it:

** GLOV is back. This is significant. GLOV was a powerful and effective organization in the early to mid 1990s, but faded from the scene. It worked in an era without cell phones and pervasive internet, and it accomplished a lot. We can do better, given the amazing advances in technology.

** GLOV is interested in tackling the issue holistically – we intend to work with schools to target homophobia that seems to develop there, faith communities to bridge the gaps of understanding, the police and prosecutors to keep a focus on their follow-through on cases, public awareness campaigns aimed at the general community, and awareness campaigns specifically to the GLBT community. We also hope to work with the police on further sensitivity training and on beefing up resources in the Gay and Lesbian Unit. We have established small (2-4 people) committees to tackle these various issues, such as a Schools/Youth Committee and a Faith Outreach Committee.

** GLOV is requesting a meeting with the Mayor to be assured of his attention to this issue and support for the necessary resources to combat it.

** GLOV will keep a watchful eye on cases brought to our attention to be sure they are treated appropriately. As an example, there are concerns with the Tony Hunter case (it was labeled a bias crime, then a robbery, and now an “altercation.”). We will work with the media to keep attention on cases such as this and to encourage reporting of how they are handled.

What You Can (and MUST) Do

** PROECT YOURSELVES AND EACH OTHER. Stay in well-lit areas where you can see other people. Do NOT walk alone at night (and don’t let your friends walk alone). If you are impaired by substances, take a cab. If you can’t walk with others, take a cab. If you see someone who is impaired and is starting to walk alone at night, reach out to them -- put them in a cab, ask a doorman to help, see if the bar manager will pay for a cab. Don’t be passive.

** If something happens, REPORT IT. This can be an incident (someone calling you a fag or dyke) or a crime. Call 911. If you prefer, you can contact the Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit (1-877-495-5995 or gllu.org). You can also report to GLOV if you would feel more comfortable: report@glovdc.org. You can also contact me directly at chris@glovdc.org (or Todd at Todd@glovdc.org).

** Get involved in GLOV. Email info@glovdc.org to be added to our announcements alias or to join one of our committees.

** Keep GLOV informed – if you see something or hear something or know of something that we should know about – contact us (report@glovdc.org).

Ultimately, there are no easy fixes to what is happening – we must remain committed for a long haul to institute the type of changes we need to create a safer community. Be patient, but stay angry – it is what continues to lead us to action.