As opponents of equality struggle to come to terms with being on the wrong side of history, and lash out in frustration, this documentation is more important than ever.
From Equality Virginia:
Discrimination and Hate Violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people does happen in Virginia. However, these acts often go unreported because people are afraid to report them or they do not know where to report them.
You can report acts of discrimination and hate violence confidentially to Equality Virginia at www.equalityvirginia.org/tellit.
The LGBT community must start telling our stories of discrimination and hate violence and demand equal protection for ourselves and our families under the law. Here are just two stories that were reported to EV over the past few months:
A bisexual male in Richmond reported that his apartment door was spray painted with anti-gay slurs. The police had to be called three times before they would even report this as a crime. This incident is not considered a hate crime under federal or state law.
In Vienna, VA, a young man went to a dermatologist for a benign skin irritation and the doctor told him that her staff would not treat his kind. When the patient asked “what’s my kind?” the doctor told him “HIV positive individuals and homosexuals.” The patient was neither gay nor HIV positive but a straight ally and reported this to EV.
You can report instances of discrimination based on actual or perceived sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression at www.equalityvirginia.org/tellit
