Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Issues

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Violence against members of the LGBT community has long been endemic but rarely catches the public eye.  Occasionally, a highly publicized event will focus attention on such violence.  For example, assaults and murders fueled by homophobia have garnered the public’s attention in cases ranging from the Matthew Shepard killing to the more recent killing of Lawrence King by a classmate at an Oxnard, California, junior high school.  And numerous instances of bullying and the resulting suicides have made headlines around the country.  Far more often, however, violence against and among LGBT people simply goes unnoticed.  Indeed, such violence also often meets with indifference or even hostility from law enforcement.  This panel will explore the ways in which our society responds to violence against and within the LGBT community.  The panelists will focus on topics including bullying, cyber-bullying, hate crimes, the so-called “gay panic” defense, prison sexual violence, domestic violence, and same-sex sexual assault.

Business Meeting at Program Conclusion.