News Item

Study Launched to Document, Gauge Police Abuse of Transgender Community.

February 22, 2004

International human rights organization Amnesty International is currently looking into police interactions with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals and communities across the United States. The National
Transgender Advocacy Coalition (NTAC) urges the transgender community to participate in this by providing any stories detailing any misconduct or abuse.

The research project was conceived by OUTfront, the Amnesty International USA program dedicated to advancing and enforcing the human rights of LGBT people, and builds on Amnesty International's historic and current work documenting racial profiling and police brutality in the United States. The research covers a broad range of police misconduct and abuse, ranging from non-response and inappropriate responses, to discriminatory targeting for law enforcement, to verbal, physical and sexual harassment and abuse.

As part of this project, Amnesty is asking LGBT people to share their experiences with law enforcement. The organization wants to hear from people from all walks of life across the country, and is particularly interested in the experiences of LGBT people of color, youth, sex workers, and transgender individuals who are especially vulnerable to police misconduct. Complete confidentiality is guaranteed to people who come forward to tell their stories.

Amnesty researchers emphasize that it is important to document LGBT people's experiences regardless of whether they think the officer or officers involved knew about their sexual orientation or gender identity, or of whether they think this affected how they were treated. They also want people to know that there doesn't have to be a beating or shooting for a person's story to be important to the research - the point of the report is to find out how law enforcement officers are treating LGBT folks across the board, whether they were the target of a hate crime, they were involved in a same sex domestic violence situation, or were harassed while walking down the street.

Finally, Amnesty is looking for stories involving both good and bad experiences, as positive experiences will help to identify "best practices" and make recommendations for change.

NTAC, which met with Trine Christensen during the planning stage, applauds the study being undertaken, calling it "needed, and long overdue."

The report is scheduled for release in the summer of 2004, so please contact Amnesty International with any information you may have as soon as possible.

For more information about this project, or to submit your testimony about your experience with law enforcement, please contact Trine Christensen at (212) 633-4277