V-Day LA: beneficiaries

V-Day LA 2004 has chosen two great charities as beneficiaries. As part
of the V-Day goal to build coalitions of like-minded groups, money will
be earmarked for programs and materials for their overlapping missions
of violence prevention.

Peace Over Violence (formerly Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women)

LACAAW mission and description

LACAAW’s mission is the elimination of violence against women, youth
and children through working toward social change, equality and social
justice.

LACAAW has adopted several approaches: education, prevention and intervention.
Since 1971, LACAAW has served the Los Angeles community, empowering
survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse. LACAAW’s
prevention and intervention programs have had widespread impact, including
a nationally recognized self-defense training program and the In Touch
With Teens relationship violence prevention curriculum. These programs
reach underserved and high-risk women, teens and children, those who
are Deaf, homeless, elderly, physically or developmentally disabled,
and recent immigrants. LACAAW believes that no one need face the crisis
of personal violence alone and that sexual and domestic violence is
preventable.

We plan to work with LACAAW in preparing some trans-specific information
on dealing with sexual assault and violence, and creating new trans-specific
materials for young women most at risk of assault. As you may know,
most sexual assaults are perpetrated by a date, coworker, or friend,
and most of these assaults happen to women ages 14 to 24. Because women
in our community often miss out on important socialization as women
during some or all of that age range, we believe that they are especially
vulnerable to sexual assault in the early stages of transition, and
that these assaults have the added danger of being escalated in violence
if their trans status is known.

To learn more about Peace Over Violence, please visit their website at peaceoverviolence.org

The Task Force

Founded in 1973, the Task Force is the oldest national organization
working to eliminate prejudice, violence, discrimination and injustice
against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people at the local,
state and national level.

Little else matters if you cannot feel safe in your everyday life.
Yet on a daily basis, GLBT people face ridicule, harassment, and violence,
which can be especially pernicious in schools and workplaces. GLBT youth
are especially vulnerable to harassment, which can literally drive young
people away from their schools, away from their homes, and onto the
streets.

Moreover, unchecked harassment often escalates to hate violence. Harassment
and hate violence harm not only the specific individual but the entire
community. Hate violence tears at the fabric of our society by sending
a message to entire groups of people that they do not have the right
to exist, simply for being who they are.

As part of a broader social justice movement for freedom, justice and
equality, the Task Force is creating a world that respects and celebrates
the diversity of human expression and identity where all people may
fully participate in society.

The Task Force is easily one of the most influential think tanks working
on trans issues. Their white papers and reports are widely considered
some of the finest materials on legal and political strategies. They
have also been extremely supportive of the work Calpernia and I have
been doing to raise awareness about trans-related violence, including
giving Calpernia a visibility award this year and having trans representation
on their board.

Their seminal work on the topic is:

Transgender Equality: A Handbook for Activists and Policymakers
– June 19, 2000
By Paisley Currah, Shannon Minter & Jamison Green

The Task Force consistently puts out trans-inclusive pieces:

Transitioning Our Shelters: A Guide to Making Homeless Shelters
Safe for Transgender People – December 15, 2003
By Lisa Mottet and John M. Ohle

Education Policy: Issues Affecting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
and Transgender Youth – November 17, 2003

By Sean Cahill and Jason Cianciotto

President George W. Bush on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender
Issues – July 28, 2003
By Jason Cianciotto

Campus Climate for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender
People: A National Perspective – May 1, 2003

By Susan R. Rankin

Family Policy: Issues Affecting Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and
Transgender Families – January 22, 2003
By Sean Cahill, Mitra Ellen and Sarah Tobias

Leaving Our Children Behind: Welfare Reform and the Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual, and Transgender Community – December 10, 2001

By Sean Cahill and Kenneth T. Jones

Please check with Task Force Board Member Marsha Botzer from Ingersoll
Gender Center in Seattle if you’d like to hear more about what
The Task Force is doing for the community.

We are working to build bridges and coalitions to larger groups who
share an interest in preventing violence against women and girls (V-Day’s
mission). It is our belief that strengthening these relationships with
make activists more amenable to taking up our causes.

To learn more about the Task Force, please visit their website at thetaskforce.org

Please join us in supporting these important causes by purchasing a
ticket or sponsorship!