By Casey Halcro, Youth Programs Coordinator Spectrum LGBT Center
August 4, 2009
Tucked away in my quiet little suburban Marin County cocoon, not but a stone’s throw away from San Francisco (known for being the Gay Mecca of the U.S.), the Sunday morning news hit me hard. Glancing over the headlines, I noticed that something had happened in Tel Aviv. That’s at least three universes away, right? It didn’t take long for my sleepy Sunday morning brain to string it all together: “Two killed as gunman mows down youths in Tel Aviv gay center.”
Three universes away my people were killed! This was a jolting reminder that I do what I do at Spectrum because there is always more work to be done. Tel Aviv may feel like three universes away, but on Sunday it may as well have been in my back yard.
I remember, just before Valentine’s Day in 2008, reading that a 15-year-old gay boy named Lawrence King was shot in the head while sitting in his school’s computer lab in Oxnard, California. Oxnard, California is just a short 6.5 hours away from me – not three universes.
In October 2002, 17-year-old Gwen Araujo was killed by four men after they discovered her transgender identity. This happened in Newark, California – about an hour away from where I live now.
In October 1998, just one year before my high school graduation, I read about Matthew Shepard, who was beaten and left for dead because he was gay. At the time, I was living in Montana. The horrific crime against Matthew Shepard happened in Wyoming, a state bordering mine…not three universes away.
On New Year’s Eve of 1993, 21-year-old Brandon Teena was raped and murdered in Lincoln, Nebraska. His killers, enraged when they discovered Brandon’s transgender identity, also shot and killed two other people who were trying to protect him.
And now, we mourn the deaths of two more young people, ages 24 and 17; and hope the best for eleven others who were wounded in the most brutal attack on LGBT people in Israel’s history.
Three universes away may as well be our own back yard.
From here in California, Spectrum wants our brothers and sisters in Tel Aviv to know that we stand with them in solidarity. We will NOT stop fighting for equal rights, social justice, and inclusive acceptance of LGBT people; the ones here in our own backyard, the ones three universes away, and all of the ones in between. We continue to work hard on a daily basis to educate, dispel myths, empower acceptance, and promote understanding for all LGBT people. Our own LGBT youth groups will continue to meet, create safe space for ourselves and others, and educate the community surrounding us.
We extend our condolences to the staff and participants of The Aguda (Hebrew for ‘gathering’) Community Center in Tel Aviv, and to the families of those who were killed and wounded.
Contact Casey Halcro at casey@spectrumlgbtcenter.org, or (415) 457-1115 x 213.
The Aguda is an LGBT community center like many in places all over the United States and the world. Nearly 30 years old, The Aguda is housed in the basement of an apartment complex. More information about The Aguda can be found at http://glbt.org.il/ (website is in Hebrew), and the English translation of their website can be viewed using this link.
