Recent cases of violence against members of the LGBTQ community has activists demanding elected leaders take action to make D.C. safer.
“They’re scared, they’re frustrated, they’re upset,” said Stephania Mahdi, co-chair of the D.C. Anti-Violence Project.
The project is part of the DC Center for the LGBTQ Community. Mahdi said the goal to work with D.C. leaders to prevent further acts of violence against the community, and get more help for victims.
With at least one recent case in the city being investigated as a hate crime, Mahdi said one way they plan to get the ear of lawmakers is to push for a council hearing specifically on the topic of hate crimes.
Mahdi said the group has members who are victims, and they are telling their stories and putting faces to those crimes.
“The community needs to hear these people’s experiences so that it becomes real to them,” Mahdi said.
During a Thursday meeting, the group looked to bring attention to pieces of legislation that support the LGBTQ community. This includes a push for the city to pass a bill that would ban the use of the so-called “panic defense” in courtrooms, similar to the law recently passed in New York City.
The D.C.-based LGBT Bar Association describes the defense as a strategy in which a jury is asked to decide if a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity is to blame for the defendant’s violent reaction, which can include murder.
Attending the Thursday meeting was Lauren Taylor, of D.C., who said she believes education is a key factor in ending cases of violence. Taylor said this includes training for everyone, especially those who may react negatively toward members of the LGBTQ community.
“I’m not saying you’re a bad person if you get freaked out at the idea of somebody being trans, but we need to change that conditioning,” Taylor said.
