Many of us like to believe that Pittsburgh is a pretty welcoming and accepting place to live. There are thriving gay communities in many of the city’s diverse neighborhoods, including where this attack happened.  Yet problems occur. Last January, there was a fight inside a Southside bar when some bar patrons took offense over some gender non-conforming patrons, and there have been incidents in Bloomfield and Highland Park that have received much attention. Even in other larger, and extremely gay-friendly cities like /New York and San Francisco, gay bashings happen. These things happen anywhere and everywhere because our culture in general has become very explosive and violent.  And some think they have a right to take it out on others whom they a see as different.

My concern for sometime has been that we are going to see an increase in violence against members of the LGBTQ community, as we seek greater visibility and equality. We don’t deserve it, and it isn’t fair, but it is not illogical to think that bigots and violent people will take it upon themselves to lash out. So what can we do?

• Like the guys in this case, seek police assistance as quickly as possible and work to provide as many details as possible to assist them towards making arrests. If you witness anything, make yourself available to offer as much information as you can.
• Violence against LGBTQ persons may come with some warning or not. Be aware of your surroundings and how you interact with others, especially when alcohol may be involved. In most every case of a gay bashing in Pittsburgh that I’m aware of, the violent attackers were drunk, and that can be trouble,or an escalate to trouble faster than it might happen otherwise.
• We belong in our neighborhoods as much as anyone else. We must not be afraid to  enjoy ourselves and live our lives, yet we must remember not to be complacent or blind to potential threats around us. We need to utilize the resources that exist designed to protect everyone, like the police, and if we find we don’t receive adequate or a professional level of support from public safety officials we must make that known as well.
• And, we must demand our elected officials to speak out against violence and physical attacks. We need our civic leaders to bring awareness and respect for diversity, and role model this behavior to the City as a whole.

A few weeks ago, I was talking to Deb Gross who is running for the District 7 City Council seat, and she commented about cultural tensions in many Pittsburgh neighborhoods as these areas evolve and change. At a time in the past gay and lesbian Pittsburghers may have chose one of a very few neighborhoods in which to be out and visible, but now LGBTQ persons are everywhere including some neighborhoods undergoing great cultural shifts. These shifts can produce tension and tension can lead to violence. We all have a responsibility to demand that our city, our neighborhoods, and our streets are free from gay bashings, and that everyone finds safety and respect where they live and work.