An LGBT agency in the Lehigh Valley is developing rapid-response and support programs in light of the uptick in hate violence after the presidential election.
The Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center on Monday announced the effort, which is being funded by a grant from Open Society Foundations’ Communities Against Hate Initiative. The center will work with LGBT organizations, law-enforcement officials and clergy in the area to put together an emergency-response plan in the event of a violent or hateful incident. In addition to developing an emergency-response plan, Bradbury-Sullivan will offer free individual counseling and support groups to LGBT community members for 14 weeks.
“Since the 2016 election, many vulnerable communities, including the LGBT community, have seen increased violence and violent rhetoric targeted at us,” said Bradbury-Sullivan Executive Director Adrian Shanker.
Leading rights organizations reported sharp increases in hate crimes and violence in the weeks and months following the election of Donald Trump, as well as a rise in hate speech. In recent weeks, a number of LGBT community organizations, including Garden State Equality in New Jersey, have been the target of anti-LGBT vandalism.
“The surge in hate incidents since the 2016 election is profoundly disturbing, and the LGBT community has been particularly hard-hit by slurs, vandalism, graffiti and the like,” said Nancy Youman of Open Society.
Shanker applauded Open Society for the funding program and said the center’s participation in the initiative will have real results for the Lehigh Valley.
“Planning for emergency preparedness is our responsibility, and … we are sensitive to the real anxieties many in our community are experiencing,” Shanker said. “We must change the current narrative that is normalizing hate and we must push our society toward viable solutions.”