Blog - Page 5 of 52 - NYC Anti-Violence Project

Community Alert: AVP responds to recent news reports on suspicious LGBTQ deaths

November 16, 2022

Like many in our community, AVP shares in the concern for our safety in light of recent reporting around the suspicious deaths of Julio Ramirez and John Umberger, and the possible drugging and robbery of other LGBTQ bar patrons in New York City. According to reports, Ramirez and Umberger were found dead after possibly being drugged while visiting bars. According to reports, thousands of dollars were also taken from their accounts. Supporting our[...]

A Look Back at the 2022 Courage Awards

November 15, 2022

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DseJM6ePkg We were thrilled to celebrate our 2022 Courage Award honorees last month. We had a beautiful night at Tribeca Rooftop dancing the night away and celebrating queer lives. Here’s a little look at the fun. Your gift to Courage supported AVP in the work of lifting up lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and HIV-affected communities and allies to end all forms of violence through organizing and ed[...]

40 Change Makers: Indira Santana

November 10, 2022

Indira Santana first got involved with AVP while starting to get out of an intimate partner violence situation in 2018. Since then, she has participated in a variety of AVP’s programs for empowerment including an art therapy group that allowed her to open up. “It was like, just imagine that you're a kid in kindergarten and you're just having fun with colors, shapes, and that's it. Basically, you just have fun with it.” We talked about art [...]

New TGNCNB report highlights recommendations for District Attorneys

A new report issued by Trans Equity Consulting and the Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming and Non-Binary Working Group (TGNCNB) to the Manhattan DA’s office highlights ways the office, and other District Attorney’s offices around the country can be more inclusive to their Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming and Non-Binary community members seeking help from the office. Trans Equity Consulting led the working group of members of the D.A.’s o[...]

40 Change Makers: Anne Patterson

October 20, 2022

Anne Patterson has dedicated her life to ending gender-based violence, from working in shelters to her work as the Vice President of STEPS to End Family Violence from 2014 to 2022. Anne’s passion is infectious and her approach to abolition and organizing shine in our discussion below. As someone who worked closely with AVP in a variety of positions, Anne has seen the organization from many different perspectives. We talked about carceral femin[...]

AVP Announces New Board Members

October 6, 2022

The New York City Anti-Violence Project is pleased to announce seven new members of our Board of Directors, installed during our summer board meetings. These accomplished individuals will bring years of expertise and knowledge to help shape AVP’s organizational and programmatic work through the completion of AVP’s new three-year strategic plan. AVP’s Board of Directors is a group of distinguished professionals from a variety of industrie[...]

The Weaponization of Spirituality Panel Discussion

September 22, 2022

Prior to the opening performance of Craig Hella Johnson’s epic fusion oratorio, Considering Matthew Shepard, a panel of experts will discuss spiritual violence and its connection to physical violence targeting LGBTQ+ people. Queerphobic spiritual violence is so pervasive that it can almost be difficult to see. Naming this violence and characterizing its impact is an imperative first step toward change and healing. SPEAKERS:Rev. Liz Edma[...]

40 Change Makers: Joo-Hyun Kang

September 12, 2022

Joo-Hyun Kang is a longtime organizer in LGBTQ and social justice communities in New York City and a mentor to many. She was a program director at Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice and the first staff member and director of the Audre Lorde Project, an organizing center for LGBTST (lesbian, gay, bisexual, Two Spirit, and transgender) and gender-nonconforming communities of color. Until recently Joo-Hyun Kang was the director of Communi[...]

AVP adopts MPV name to describe emerging virus

September 9, 2022

Dear AVP Community, As you know, AVP works diligently to support our survivors first and advocates whenever we can for changes that help to remove stigma and barriers affecting their safety and well-being. A virus that has become the center of public discourse once again has a name that by its erroneous nature promotes incorrect, racist and harmful narratives about our communities. It is referred to as m——————-pox (redacted) a[...]

40 Change Makers: Kathy Flores

August 10, 2022

Kathy Flores has always been one to take initiative. “Diverse & Resilient basically gave me this program and said, ‘Here, if you can build it, build it.’” From training domestic violence shelters on working with gender non-conforming people to decentering whiteness in professional environments, Kathy has tackled a variety of issues. “Anti-violence advocates are a special kind of geek,” she said. Kathy has served for many ye[...]

40 Change Makers: Clarence Patton

Clarence Patton worked with AVP from 1996 to 2008. From his work as Development Director to his time as Executive Director, Clarence worked to advance the real-life change AVP was a part of. "I was there for 12 years," said Clarence. "When I became Executive Director, the staff teased me." Clarence said staff told him that now that you’ve had all the jobs, you’ll have to leave after this. "I think that it could definitely be overwhelming at t[...]

40 Change Makers: Andrea Ritchie

July 28, 2022

This interview has been shortened and condensed for clarity. One of the first things Andrea Ritchie remembers saying was, “It's not fair.” She would stomp her feet and enact her first form of protest which would later inform her work as an organizer. Her book Invisible No More documents the history of state violence against women of color. Andrea has collaborated on essential texts like Queer (In)justice — a study on the criminalizat[...]