Please be aware the topic of this post is around sexual violence, and human trafficking.
Organizers with the LGBT Community Center of New Orleans were deeply saddened last night when we were made aware of a trans woman who escaped captivity from a violent incident of human trafficking. We like many other statewide organizations are monitoring the situation.
We have been seeing an uptick in community members reaching out to us with unstable and unsafe housing situations. LGBTQ people, and especially LGBTQ people of color, elders, and undocumented workers are more likely to find themselves in these unstable situations. We believe that a macro level approach to changing environmental prejudices in New Orleans, Louisiana and The South is necessary to change the culture of violence that surrounds LGBTQ people’s lives. We also have to be available to assist survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and those in insecure housing within our own communities.
As such the LGBT Community Center of New Orleans is looking to strengthen our crisis intervention capacity. We have begun reaching out to local family services organizations to identify LGBTQ friendly individuals to refer our community to. If you are a point of contact, know a point of contact, or are interested in working with us on this issue please email me directly at sebastian@lgbtccneworleans.org.
We will be sharing our resources as we find them. Thank you again for all the work you do on behalf of our community, and for supporting us as we do the same.
http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2014/06/transgender_woman_enslaved_tor.html
