From: "National Gay and Lesbian Task Force" <Media@theTaskForce.org>
Date: April 17, 2012 10:44:12 AM EDT
To: "Faisal Alam" <alam.faisal@gmail.com>
Subject: Task Force calls for end to racial profiling
Reply-To: <Media@theTaskForce.org>
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
MEDIA CONTACT:
Inga Sarda-Sorensen
Director of Communications
(Office) 646.358.1463
(Cell) 202.641.5592
isorensen@theTaskForce.orgNational Gay and Lesbian Task Force calls for end to racial profiling
Submits testimony for today's congressional hearing
on 'Ending Racial Profiling in America'
WASHINGTON, April 17 — The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund submitted written testimony for today's hearing on "Ending Racial Profiling in America," held by the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights.
The hearing is examining the disturbing presence of racial profiling in law enforcement and exploring proposed solutions, including the End Racial Profiling Act and closing loopholes in the U.S. Department of Justice's racial profiling guidance.
"Racial profiling undermines a pivotal principle in our nation's criminal justice system: An individual is innocent until proven otherwise. Focusing on characteristics, rather than behaviors, to identify suspected wrongdoers is misguided, wasteful and even dangerous to those who are unfairly targeted," said Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. "Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people of color know too well how easily it is to be singled out for harassment and persecution as people living at the intersection of racism and anti-LGBT bias."
The Task Force testimony details how LGBT people of color are disproportionately affected by racial profiling. It particularly spotlights the deplorable treatment of transgender people of color at the hands of law enforcement, as found in the groundbreaking study, Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, from the Task Force and National Center for Transgender Equality.
Injustice at Every Turn found, for example, that 41 percent of black and 21 percent of Latino/a transgender people reported being detained in a prison or jail cell because they are transgender, compared to 4 percent of white transgender people.
The Task Force calls upon the subcommittee to pass the End Racial Profiling Act and to work toward the measure's full congressional passage; and strengthen and expand restrictions against racial profiling by federal law enforcement agencies.
"We thank the subcommittee for holding the first hearing on this critical issue since 2001. We look forward to continuing the dialogue on how to bring an end to discriminatory racial profiling practices once and for all," said Carey.
Read the Task Force's full testimony here.
To learn more about the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, visit www.theTaskForce.org
and follow us on Twitter: @TheTaskForce.–30–
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund builds the grassroots political power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. The Task Force Action Fund does this through direct and grassroots lobbying to defeat anti-LGBT ballot initiatives and legislation, and works to pass pro-LGBT legislation and other progressive initiatives. The Task Force Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporation incorporated in New York. Contributions to the Task Force Action Fund are not tax-deductible.
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To gather together as a community of individuals who identify as Muslim culturally, religiously, ideologically and/or politically and also as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT), while reconnecting with our faith, our community and with ourselves.
