Letters to the Editor
Not Adversaries
I am writing regarding the article about SafeSpace in last month's issue, "Making a Safer Space," p.12. I appreciate your efforts to help raise awareness about SafeSpace and our mission to end violence in the lives of LGBTQQ Vermonters. I am however, concerned about how the article risks undermining the community-building work that SafeSpace has been participating in with our allies and community partners since our inception. These community collaborations with other domestic and sexual violence organizations in Vermont are integral to the success of SafeSpace, which directly translates into more and better services for LGBTQQ survivors across the state. LGBTQQ survivors are best served with a coordinated community response to the violence that affects us all.
The article may have given readers the impression that SafeSpace has an adversarial relationship with the Vermont Network Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, and its sixteen domestic and sexual violence programs. This is not true. In fact, SafeSpace emerged largely from the work of two Network agencies, the Women's Rape Crisis Center and Women Helping Battered Women, who we continue to work very closely with. We are also connected to other Network programs outside Chittenden County through our work with the Network's Legislative Committee, and through volunteer trainings where SafeSpace is invited to provide training. We look forward to more collaborations and connections with programs in the future to ensure that LGBTQQ survivors across the state have access to services that meet their needs.
If you are reading this and you are a LGBTQQ survivor of domestic violence, sexual violence, bias crimes or discrimination, or you know someone who is, please know there is help available for you in Vermont. There are advocates in Vermont who will help you, and/or help connect you with the resources you need to be safe. SafeSpace Advocates can be reached Monday through Friday 10am-6pm with new extended hours on Mondays and Thursdays 9am-9pm toll-free at 866-869-7341. The statewide domestic violence 24-hour hotline number is 1-800-228-7395 and the sexual violence 24 hr hotline is 1-800-489-7273.
Kara DeLeonardis
SafeSpace Executive Director
In fact, Kara, the article reported both the collaborations with and the founding support offered to SafeSpace by WHBW and WRCC. The issue isn't any adversarial attitude from SafeSpace (and I never perceived that or indicated it in any of the interviews for the article), but the Network's position on full membership. The question I sought to answer is whether SafeSpace is being accorded equal respect for its expertise and given access to funding for the antiviolence work you do in a historically marginalized community, the needs of whose violence victims have been too often ignored, denied, or handled with ignorance and prejudice by other agencies.
The fact that even after the article came out SafeSpace was left out of a press release from WHBW and WRCC alerting the media to a Domestic Violence Awareness Month event - even though Safe Space participated in the event and is listed on the new antiviolence resource stickers and whistles - simply underlines the necessity of continuing to ask those questions. Omission is not a sign of respect. Ü EB
Trans Corrections
In your article titled "A Dangerous Place For Transfolk" (October 10, 2003), you referred to the Remembering Our Dead site and statistics as being a product of the National Transgender Advocacy Group (actually known as the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition). This is not the case, as the Remembering Our Dead project is part of Gender Education and Advocacy, Inc. NTAC does provide some of our materials on their website, but the Remembering Our Dead list is not theirs to maintain.
Also, may I suggest that when referring to male-to-female individuals in the future, that you use their preferred names? Bella Evangelista and Emonie Spaulding both had moved on from their birth names, and it would disrespectful to their memory for those of us in the LGBT community to use them.
Gwendolyn Ann Smith
Founder, Remembering Our Dead
www.rememberingourdead.org
First off, thank you for bringing to attention the plight of transgender murders. The bias has not abated, but seemingly increased over the past few years. Over the past five years, DC is the second most violent spot for transgenders, losing seven in that time period (unfortunately, I live in Houston, who's lost eight in that same period). Houston and DC, both towns connected to Bush. Number 3 is Miami with only four in the past five years.
To your article ... some clarifications: Her preferred name was Emonie Spaulding [identified in the article as Aaryn Marshall]. She lived as female 24-7. FYI, typically (per agreement we worked out with AP some years ago), when one is transsexual, the preferred usage in the press stylebook is "Emonie Spaulding (born Aaryn Marshall)," with remaining references to Spaulding. No quotes. It's similar to what one would read if the victim were straight or gay and changed their name Ü e.g. "Elton John (born Reginald Dwight) was there, and John said..."
The way the [Law Enforcement Enhancement Act] law is currently proposed, it would not include coverage for transgenders. Contrary to how it's being billed, there has been a couple of incidental readings into the Congressional Record to provide a basis of need for LEEA, and Sen. Kennedy and Sen. Smith now "intend" for the bill to cover transgenders. However, read all the public pronouncements of who this bill will cover, and read the language itself. Real or perceived gender has been shot down too many times to rely upon that as automatic coverage, ditto with real or perceived sexual orientation.
[Citing the article's reference to the 'National Transgender Advocacy Group' as maintaining the Remembering Our Dead list] National Transgender Advocacy Coalition is us, actually (NTAC)...
Not true. We work closely with [the group that does maintain the list], and assist them on the events coordination of Day of Remembrance. Remembering Our Dead is the actual structure that event belongs to, and they are actually an offshoot of Gender Education & Advocacy (GEA) www.gender.org
It's now official, this is the deadliest year on record. We still have another month to go before a final count on Nov. 20.
Thank you,
Vanessa Edwards Foster
Chair, National Transgender Advocacy Coalition
Thank you both for your corrections and your willingness to educate those of us in the media. The article in question was part of our short clips section "The Rest of Our World," a collection of short items culled from press releases and news stories published in other sources. We simply followed the usage in the press releases we received, including one from the Human Rights Campaign, but now we'll know better. Readers, see the Views section, the Calendar, or Community Compass for info on this year's Transgender Day of Remembrance in Burlington. Ü EB
Corrections:
Calling the Count! Well, we need someone who can handle numbers to remind us that 9 comes after 8, and the October issue should have been identified as Number 9, not Number 8. Our volume year begins with issue number 1 in February.
Due to a production error, Bennett Law's review of summertime gay TV was saddled with a leftover paragraph from the previous month's review of the David Daniels CD. We apologize to Bennett and to our readers for the error.
At Witt's End
