Violence Against Women Act Expands Services to LGBTQ+ Survivors
statement from Liz Seaton, the National LGBTQ Task Force’s policy director. “Our sister organization, the National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund, participated in a working group on bill language and advocated for its passage.”“This legislation has the strongest-ever provisions to benefit LGBTQ survivors,” added Beverly Tillery, executive director of the New York City Anti-Violence Project, which coordinates the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. “While the LGBTQ community continues to experience a barrage of anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ attacks across the nation, VAWA provides a brief moment of hope that we can and will continue to make important advancements for our community.
This victory is the result of a strong coalition of advocates who have been willing to fight with and for the most marginalized communities in our country.”The reauthorized law also will step up programs for other marginalized populations, including Native Americans.
Among other things, “tribal courts will now be able to exercise jurisdiction over non-Native perpetrators of sexual assault and sex trafficking,” Biden said at the bill signing.At a Wednesday event celebrating the VAWA reuauthorization, he noted, “No one, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, should experience abuse.
Period. And if they do, they should have the service and support to get through it, and we’re not going to rest.”VAWA was first passed in 1994.
