Incorporating LGBTQ Victims’ Needs Into Mainstream Victim Services

June 5, 2013—Join an Online Discussion Incorporating LGBTQ Victims’ Needs Into Mainstream Victim Services

On June 5, 2013, at 2 p.m. (eastern time), in commemoration of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) will present a Web Forum discussion with Robin Parker and Sharon Stapel on best practices for incorporating lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) victims’ needs into mainstream victim services. Mr. Parker is the Executive Director of the Beyond Diversity Resource Center in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, and a diversity consultant committed to building a more inclusive society through diversity education initiatives for individuals and communities. He previously served as a deputy attorney general for the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice; and as chief of the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, Department of Law and Public Safety, Office of Bias Crime and Community Relations. Mr. Parker also is the coauthor of the article We Can’t Talk About This: The Trouble With Discussing Sexual Orientation, 2 Honest Conversation 1. Ms. Stapel is the Executive Director of the New York City Anti-Violence Project, an organization dedicated to ending hate, sexual, and intimate partner violence affecting people who identify as LGBTQ, as well as HIV-affected communities. Ms. Stapel is a member of the LGBT Advisory Committee to the NYPD, as well as various national stakeholder groups that address the inclusion of LGBTQ individuals in services provided for crime victims and survivors at local, state, and federal levels. Ms. Stapel is the former chair of the New York City Bar Association’s Domestic Violence Committee and the New York City LGBTQ Domestic Violence Task Force. Visit the OVC Web Forum now at http://ovc.ncjrs.gov/ovcproviderforum to submit questions for Mr. Parker and Ms. Stapel and return on June 5 at 2 p.m. (eastern time) for the live discussion. Go to http://ovc.ncjrs.gov/ovcproviderforum/asp/participate.asp for instructions on how to participate. OVC's Web Forum allows participants to tap into a national network of people with various backgrounds who all face similar challenges and experiences. It is the perfect place for crime victim service providers and allied professionals to gain peer insight and support related to best practices in victim services. Please be reminded that the Web Forum is a public domain and personal or case information should not be shared. JUSTICE FOR VICTIMS • JUSTICE FOR ALL OVC shares your mission and has a wide range of resources to help you accomplish it. Visit the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) online at http://www.ncjrs.gov to register for services or to find out more.