Skip to Navigation

Anti-violence projects

Transgender Sexual Violence Survivors – Working with Providers

In 2009, FORGE was awarded a 3-year grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime to help professionals better serve transgender survivors of sexual violence.  The project has four major components:

1)      Provide ongoing technical assistance via phone and email to professionals serving sexual violence survivors, including developing trainings (we recently did one for the Washington Coalition Against Sexual Assault) and providing consultation, such as our recent review of the “A National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examinations (Adults/Adolescents).”

2)     Develop publications about the needs of and best ways to serve transgender sexual violence survivors.  We are currently finalizing seven drafts, tentatively titled:

  • “Mapping the Transgender Experience: A Guide for Professionals”
  • “Serving Transgender Sexual Violence Survivors”
  • “Providing Immediate Post-Assault Health and/or Forensic Care to the Transgender Sexual Violence Survivor”
  • “Routine Health Care for the Transgender Survivor of Sexual Assault”
  • “Asking the Right Questions: A Workbook for Professionals Serving Transgender Sexual Violence Survivors”
  • “Reaching Out: Connecting to the Transgender Community”
  • “ Services Outside of the Box: Helping Transgender Clients Navigate Sex-Segregated Services”

3)     Develop and offer training webinars (and possibly other training materials) on the following topics:

  • Transgender 101
  • Transgender Sexual Violence Survivors
  • Making Your Agency Trans-Friendly

4)     Develop and evaluate 3-4 pilot projects involving sexual assault provider/transgender community coalitions improving services in their jurisdiction.  At the end of the evaluation, write and disseminate “A Guide to Systems Change: Serving Transgender Sexual Violence Survivors” to help other communities replicate the projects.

 

Transgender Sexual Violence Survivors – Working with Survivors

Also in 2009, FORGE was awarded a 3-year grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women to provide direct services to transgender sexual violence survivors.  The primary components of this grant are:

1)     Provide information and referral services to transgender survivors of sexual assault via phone, website, conferences, and brochures.

2)     Develop three online self-help guides:

  • “A Self-Help Guide for Transgender Sexual Violence Survivors”
  • “A Guide for SOFFAs of Transgender Sexual Violence Survivors”
  • “A Guide to Finding a Trans-Savvy Sexual Violence Therapist”

3)     Provide direct support and healing services via a listserv; an online Writing to Heal workshops; and creation and dissemination of a “Facilitators Guide” to help transgender support group leaders recognize and help address the results of having survived sexual assault or abuse.

In recognition of the fact that many transgender sexual assault survivors seek help from “mainstream” services, we also have some flexibility to provide training and/or technical assistance to service providers under this grant.

 

Community Cares

After the May 7, 2010, murder of Milwaukee transgender woman Chanel Larkin, FORGE initiated a months-long set of activities designed to support, empower, and educate the community.  Six community meetings were held to provide community members with a safe place to express emotions and to plan actions such as a presentation by the district attorney’s office on the prosecution process; a candlelight vigil; a march and rally at the Courthouse; and ensuring there were court watchers at all court appearances of the accused.  We also: assisted people in filing victim impact statements with the court; published editorials and articles in the Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin Gazette, Quest, and other publications; arranged for coverage by television news stations 6 and 58; distributed 4 news releases and 8o media kits; did trainings for and met with the Milwaukee Homicide Review Team and the Domestic Violence Review Team; and got appointed and met with a Milwaukee Police Department LGBT Police Liaison.  Although no further Community Cares meetings or events are planned (except for the employment project described below), FORGE feels this community healing and empowerment work is very important, and we expect we may lead similar efforts when they become necessary.

 

National LGBT Policy Development

Despite what some critics say, the Obama Administration has spearheaded a radical shift in the federal government’s attitude toward and interest in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) population.  To make the most of this window of opportunity, FORGE staff member Loree Cook-Daniels represents the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) on two national coalitions focused on improving federal LGBT policy: the National Policy Roundtable (NPR) (http://www.thetaskforce.org/our_work/public_policy/national_policy_roundtable)and the New Beginnings Initiative (NBI) (http://www.thetaskforce.org/newadmin/newbeginning_intro.html).

NCAVP is currently working with both the Office of Victims of Crime (OVC) and the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) to improve crime victim providers’ LGBT cultural competency, to add non-discrimination requirements for all grantees, and to develop LGBT-specific funding streams.  Informally, Loree also represents transgender and LGB aging issues on NPR and NBI.

 

Milwaukee Police Department Homicide Review Team

In the wake of the 2010 murders of Chanel Larkin and Rosalyn Ross, FORGE was recruited to be part of the Milwaukee Police Department’s Homicide Review Team.  This police/community organizations body reviews homicides to determine what changes would make it less likely that kind of death under review would happen again.  FORGE spearheaded the appointment of an LGBT Liaison by the Milwaukee Police Department as one outcome of the Homicide Review Team’s work on Chanel Larkin, and will be spearheading a “Stakeholders’ Meeting” of domestic violence and related professionals to discuss the need for services particularly directed toward African-American LGBT people as a result of Rosalyn Ross’s death.

 

Diverse & Resilient’s LGBT Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Advisory Committee

FORGE Executive Director michael munson serves on the advisory committee of a federally-funded project sponsored by Diverse & Resilient to increase recognition of the high incidence of IPV with LGBT communities and increase the capacity of LGBT and mainstream partners to address IPV as a critical health issues within LGBT populations.  The project will develop a website with mental health resources available to LGBT individuals and couples; increase the capacity of LGBT organizations, groups and individual leaders to respond to IPV within LGBT communities; and work with mainstream IPV providers to increase their ability to provide culturally-competent IPV services to LGBT people.