On February 3, Gary Glenn of the American Family Association of Michigan sank to a new low. He issued a press release with the nastiest and most malicious rhetoric yet, demanding the State of Michigan take back funding it gave to Triangle Foundation to serve victims of anti-GLBT hate crimes. Since Triangle is the only agency in Michigan offering comprehensive services for GLBT hate crime victims, this could seriously jeopardize vital programs for our community.
Triangle has been serving hate crime victims for 15 years. A few months ago, the Michigan Crime Victims Service Commission awarded a grant to Triangle to provide essential victim services to "underserved" victims of crime. The Victims of Crimes Act (VOCA) requires perpetrators of federal crimes to pay fees when they are convicted. Those funds are then distributed to agencies serving crime victims. In other words, this is not taxpayer money - it is from offenders themselves.
GLBT people sometimes face discrimination from law enforcement and traditional service providers, resulting in re-victimization. Gary Glenn claims that anti-GLBT harassment and police abuse don't count as crime, even when paramedics, police or probation officers break the law. VOCA funds are essential for the gay community because in many situations Triangle is the only vehicle for mediation, advocacy or as a watchdog.
Glenn has convinced a few legislators to hold hearings on the issue and they may introduce an amendment to the Michigan budget to block groups like Triangle from accessing VOCA funds to serve GLBT clients. This is highly problematic for several reasons.
http://www.pridesource.com/article.shtml?article=17553
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