On December 13 a lesbian in Richmond, CA (near San Francisco) was about to enter her vehicle as she was approached by 4 young men who proceeded to beat, gang rape, rob and leave her completely naked and bleeding to death near the Richmond BART train station.
This heinous crime shocked even the Richmond police-- who see some of the worse cases of violence in the country.
The attack was "alleged" to be a hate crime as the survivor claims that the attackers targeted her and used anti gay language throughout her attack.
Horrifying attacks such as this one reinforce the need for a higher level of sexuality education in this country. If we can begin to imagine a world where true lifelong sexual literacy exists....which embraces sexual human diversity and rights....we can begin to heal.
NSRC is proud to work with organizations like Community United Against Violence (CUAV) who promote education, awareness, advocacy and healing for those affected by these crimes and others forms of violence. CUAV is the local agency responding to media calls and crisis calls related to this terrifying crime.
I would like to take a moment to remind everyone out there who hears of this story-- CUAV is there for you....their Crisis line is there for survivors and their families and friends in addition to anyone who feels a heightened sense of unsafety when they hear stories such as this one.....and there are unfortunately many more of them....
If you need to talk to to someone about your own reaction to hearing about this, you can call CUAV's Crisis line at 415-333-HELP (4357). Sometimes a brutal crime like this one can trigger a great deal of emotional reaction that makes it hard to move along in everyday life.
CUAV is there to provide hope and to heal. For those of you living outside of the Bay Area, please visit the NCAVP National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs web site for localized organizations and resources where you can turn for support.
I am truly grateful to have organizations like CUAV and those associated with the NCAVP there to assist, provide resources, educate and advocate for survivors and for those of us who feel terrified by even hearing about the crimes.
NSRC is right here with you, every step of the way, in our collective mission to bring hope and healing through the work we all do to increase sexual literacy and human rights.
Thank you CUAV and NCAVP...for leading the way. It takes communities to heal communities.
Other useful resources (please add more if you have them):
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
National Sexual Violence Resource Center
PFLAG Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays
San Francisco Women Against Rape
