Lamba Legal Launches Survey on LGBT/HIV Experience with Cops
The LGBT advocacy group Lambda Legal launched a nationwide survey on Monday that aims to examine the experiences that LGBT people and HIV positive people have had with law enforcement.
The “Survey of LGBT/HIV Contact with Police, Courts, Prisons, and Schools” will ask people and organizations about their encounters. It will focus on areas like police harassment, profiling, and misconduct in prison.
Holiday Simmons is Lambda Legal’s National Community Educator. He says that the desire to conduct the survey came after the controversial raid at the Atlanta Eagle gay bar and its resulting lawsuits.
SIMMONS: We wanted to do something more than just sort of um, in the courtoom. But also sort of, engaging the general public so it stems from one of our cases and so, we’re sort of branching from that one case into a larger issue area.
He said Monday that “many law enforcement officials and agencies abuse their power to target LGBT and HIV positive people.” He added that the survey will “provide critical information to hold government officials accountable.”
-Jennifer Walker
