WEEK-LONG DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS EVENTS FOR THE ***,GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY
No Fear, No Guilt, No Shame Campaign
El Paso County Attorney José R. Rodriguez today announced a week-long series of events aimed to inform the ***, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community about resources available in our community to combat domestic violence.
The “No Fear, No Guilt, No Shame” campaign was organized by the County Attorney’s Office in conjunction with the organization “Puentes LGBT Resources” to reduce the incidence of domestic violence among members of the LGBT community. Gay and *** community members will receive information about programs and agencies that can provide help to victims of intimate partner violence.
The series of events are structured in a way that allows members of the legal and law enforcement agencies to answer questions and present information on available services to members of the LGBT community. At the same time, service providers will be able to learn about specific issues affecting victims within the LGBT community, and how to help them more efficiently to cope and recover from domestic violence experiences.
Gay and *** couples experience domestic violence like everyone else. Often, victims struggle with the pain on their own, fearing that law enforcement and other agencies will judge them harshly or ignore their complaints.
The campaign will begin on Tuesday, October 21, 2008, at the El Paso County Courthouse with a community forum where the organizers will discuss the results of a survey that reveals the prevalence of LGBT domestic violence in El Paso.
The week-long activities will end on Saturday October 25, 2008 with a presentation on the domestic violence movement in LGBT communities at the state and national levels. “This conference is the latest in a series of efforts focused on raising domestic violence awareness in the community; previous conferences have been directed towards teens and the general population. This conference will focus on another, perhaps more, vulnerable population: the gay and *** community,” explained County Attorney José R. Rodríguez.
WHO: El Paso County Attorney's Office and Puentes LGBT Resources
WHAT: No Fear, No Shame, No Guilt CampaignWHEN: October 21 thru the 25, 2008
WHERE: Several locations
Tuesday October 21, 2008 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Community Forum: Domestic and Dating Violence in LGBT Relationships
El Paso County Courthouse, 500 E. San Antonio, 3rd floor
Wednesday October 22, 2008 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Roundtable Discussion: Legal Aspects of LGBT Violence
The Percolator, 217 N Stanton St. (by invitation only)
Thursday October 23, 2008 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Panel Discussion: LGBT Issues in Domestic Violence
Center Against Family Violence, 580 Giles Rd.
Friday October 24, 2008 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Presentation: Legal Advocacy for LGBT Communities
Metropolitan Community Church, 216 S. Ochoa St.
Saturday October 25, 2008 1:45 -2:30 p.m.
Presentation: Reaching Out to LGBT Victims of Intimate Partner Violence
Region 19 ESC Head Start Multi-Purpose Center, 11670 Chito Samaniego
For more information about a particular event please call Sam Aguilera at (915) 526-1350.
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LGBT Domestic Violence Press Release.pdf