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Peter Rosenstein is a D.C.-based gay rights activist and can be reached via this publication.
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HOME > VIEWPOINT > EDITORIAL
By: PETER ROSENSTEIN COMMENTS
 
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we walked to the spot where Tony Hunter was beaten. We appreciated them being there but attending a service and speaking to the group isn’t action. Jack Evans asked what can be done.
My answer is that rhetoric just isn’t enough anymore. As the city faces a downturn in our economy, which is part of the natural cycle, we will need to focus on social issues in a more concrete way. As one Council member said to me, when we begin to cut programs to meet budget realities we will be facing a much stronger reaction from people across the District and these cuts will once again pit one group of people against another. Because of the make-up of our city, many of our poorest residents are minorities. We need to be aware of that and make sure that the issues of racism, homophobia and sexism don’t get confused with what our city leaders will have to do to balance the budget.
WE NEED TO begin the discussion on these issues now. We need these discussions led by our political and faith leaders and we need them to include the entire community. As we fight HIV/AIDS, homelessness, lack of health care and lack of affordable housing, we need to have these discussions openly and honestly.
When the GLBT community speaks out and says “Enough is enough,” and once again feels it is crucial to start up the organization Gays and Lesbians Opposed to Violence (GLOV), our political leaders should take heed. These demands that they become involved on a personal level will not fade away until action is taken. Our community will look at ways to make ourselves safer, but we can’t do this alone.
We want, yes we demand, that our political leadership get personally involved and work with us to shape a plan that will include both education and upgraded policing to address this issue of increased violence against the GLBT community before we face another senseless death or more senseless attacks.
The issue isn’t whether we call something an official “hate crime” or not. The fact is that members of our community are under attack and they are feeling scared. That is a state of affairs that cannot and must not continue.
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