Subject: hate violence
From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 4 May 1995 03:02:55 -0400

from update, southern california's gay and lesbian weekly newspaper

"Die, Faggot! Die!"
Hate Violence And Bomb Threat 
Prompt Increased Security At 
Gay Rights Organizations 

By Petr Pronsati
Editor

SACRAMENTO - An eruption of hate violence nationwide 
and a recent bomb threat to a Gay and Lesbian lobbying group in 
the state capitol have left many Gay rights groups with a 
heightened sense of security, but also a renewed sense of how 
important their missions truly are.
The LIFE AIDS Lobby in Sacramento on April 25 received a 
bomb threat with explicit anti-Gay language, according to Donna 
Yutzy, interim program director of the LIFE League. Yutzy told 
Update that while "it is not unusual" to pick up hate messages off 
the answering machine, this was different. "This was a live call, 
and there was an implicit bodily threat," she said.
The threat was clear in the caller's admonishment to "get out of 
the building unless you want to die." Additionally, he referred to 
"you faggot assholes" and chided "Die, Faggot! Die!"
Yutzy blamed the threat on what she called "the environment 
of violence" since the most recent election. Without directly 
referring to the new Republican majorities in state and federal 
governments, she made it clear that things have changed.
She talked about the new atmosphere in the California State 
Assembly and Senate. "Laurie [McBride, executive director of 
LIFE AIDS Lobby] was stunned at the level of hatred and 
vehemence in the capitol from legislators. It's almost as if it's 
permissible to say things - unbelievable hate-filled things." She 
quoted one legislator as saying "Gay men lead the dirtiest 
lifestyles and shouldn't be allowed to live." Another asserted that 
it's a "proven fact that Lesbians are incapable of holding 
relationships." Yutzy understood that comment to mean "of 
course that's true or else they [Lesbians] would be in relationships 
with men."
In a prepared statement made just after the bomb scare ended, 
McBride said, "I blame the politics of division - the rhetoric of 
demagogues on the rabid right - for helping create a climate that 
allows extremists of all stripes to think their terrorist attacks are 
somehow justified."
She added, "It's time for all Americans to speak up. Hate 
rhetoric is not entertainment. Hate rhetoric is incitement to 
violence. It leads to terror in Oklahoma, to mail bombings that 
kill, to hate calls like the one received today."
Yutzy said that the decision to go public with news of the threat 
was a difficult one. The Sacramento police told the group that a 
public announcement would be "just asking for more." LIFE had a 
different thought, however. Yutzy said that "as a group that 
encourages people to report anti-Gay violence, what kind of 
message would we be sending [by remaining silent]?"
She admitted, "Speaking out against anti-Gay violence is risky." 
It was a risk, though, the lobbying organization felt they had to 
take in an effort to lead by example.
In the wake of the threat, and because they know that hate 
violence has been more than an aberration recently, LIFE is just a 
bit more aware these days. "The first day," Yutzy explained, "we 
kept the office locked. [Now] we're all more sensitive around 
[unidentified] mail and packages. All strangers are pre-screened 
before being let into the suites."
Other Gay and Lesbian rights groups are taking precautions 
also. William Wayborne, executive director of the Gay and 
Lesbian Victory Fund, told Update, "Our new security system was 
just installed last week." The measure was taken in response to what 
Wayborne termed "an epidemic of violence." He said that "if any 
group can identify with [the Oklahoma bombing tragedy], it is 
Gays and Lesbians," due to the community's experience with 
"attacks from unidentified extremist groups."
He confirmed two points that have more than likely already 
been assumed by most Gays and Lesbians - that threats of 
violence against Gay rights groups have been a routine 
occurrence for years, and that, until recently these threats have 
mostly been ignored.
He told of how, when he worked for an organization in Dallas, 
he was harassed with hate phone calls by a man for over eight 
months. The man never acted on his speech, but Wayborne said, 
"The venom and hate he spewed was very threatening." When 
they finally caught the perpetrator, Wayborne was stunned to find 
out not only that the man worked for "a major governmental 
institution," but that he was also believed to be Gay. The executive 
director wondered what, if any, societal factors may have been 
involved in creating this man's hatred and possibly internalized 
homophobia.
Asked if these recent violent acts might inspire an even more 
galvanized Gay and Lesbian rights movement, Wayborne said, "I 
hope by now we have learned to motivate ourselves for the right 
reason," which he said is simply because we  deserve our civil 
rights. "Violence," he continued," occurs routinely in our 
community. It is in some sense a motivating factor, but it 
shouldn't be."
Everyone interviewed agreed that anti-Gay violence, and hate 
violence in general, has increased recently. Unfortunately, no 
figures were found to give a precise picture of the situation. One 
group in San Francisco might have an understanding of the 
situation, but Communities United Against Violence, who 
apparently have nothing at all against rudeness, were just short of 
hostile in telling Update that they had no time to talk.
In the case of the Human Rights Campaign Fund (HRCF), it was 
not direct anti-Gay violence that caused an interest in increased 
security. Doug Hattaway, communications deputy director for the 
group, said that the Washington, D.C.-based firm brought in 
experts to do a security assessment following the shootings at 
abortion clinics in Massachusetts and Virginia earlier this year. In 
a phone interview last week, he explained, "The same right 
wingers who oppose choice also target Gays and Lesbians."
There is a guard on the first floor of the building that houses 
HRCF and he screens all visitors to the offices. Also, once on the 
floor of their suites, everyone must be buzzed in by the 
receptionist. "It's simple stuff," said Hattaway, but it's important 
so the group can continue its work.
He said that there has been a lot of media attention focused on 
HRCF this year because of the work they have done to encourage 
D.C. legislators to sign Gay and Lesbian anti-discrimination 
policies as pertaining to their hiring practices. Presently, 227 
members (over 50 percent) of the 104th Congress have signed the 
policies.
They have also been featured on C-SPAN twice in the past few 
months. All of this notoriety has increased HRCF's visibility with 
both the left and the right. While acknowledging that anti-Gay 
calls have increased, Hattaway happily noted that "supportive 
calls have outpaced hate calls two to one."
Possibly the most security conscious group of all, though, is 
the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. They have all staff 
participate in a security training seminar at their  office in 
Washington, D.C. According to Robert Bray, field organizer for 
NGLTF's Fight the Right project, the session teaches all the basics 
in preventing hate violence, including briefing employees on 
handling packages that may contain bombs like that one that 
killed a federal employee recently.
"We take our security extremely seriously," said Bray. "We 
brought in the Anti-Defamation League to help with the training." 
He added that the league is widely viewed as one of the foremost 
authorities in the field of preventing hate violence.
Security has also been stepped up at his field office in San 
Francisco. The building, which is called Queer Central because it 
is the home of a half-dozen Gay and Lesbian organizations, 
recently installed a card entry system.
"We took the measure to create an environment of deterrence 
to any individual striking out against us," said Bray.
He does not let all these precautions suggest a cowering, 
defensive stance however. "I am absolutely fearless," he said. 
Much of his work is done in rural areas and he encounters a great 
deal of anti-Gay sentiment. In spite of that, he remains focused 
on the positive.
"We are not afraid," he said, "but we are not foolish, either. We 
[take steps to promote] deterrence, still keeping our eyes on the 
prize - which is freedom, not fear."