Violence against gay, lesbian residents sparks new group

Lawrence has a reputation as a progressive and accepting community.

Organizers of the newly formed group Project Resistance agree with that description, and they want the city to stay that way.

The group was formed to focus on an issue organizers say has not received much attention in Lawrence: incidents of violence directed towards members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

The group met Aug. 7 at Lawrence Public Library to gauge interest in the Lawrence community for the project.

As the library conference room filled up and chairs were brought in from other rooms, it was clear that there was significant interest in Project Resistance.

Project Resistance organizer Ailecia Ruscin became involved after hearing about several violent incidents in the community.

"We wanted to react in some way," Ruscin said. "We want people to know that Lawrence is a queer-friendly place."

Ideas discussed to make Lawrence safer included patrols to ensure safety late at night and outreach to other community organizations.

Several at the meeting spoke of an assault earlier this summer on a man and a woman outside the Replay Lounge. The Journal-World was unable to reach the victims of the assault, and organizers said they did not want to speak publicly about the incident.

Violence against gay, lesbian residents sparks new group
Lawrence Journal World, KS