"LGBTQ+ and Law Enforcement" on Wednesday, June 17, 5:30 p.m., ECAT, Erie

What is the legal landscape for members of the LGBTQ+ community? What are the chief legal issues we are facing as a community of diverse individuals? How does federal hate crime law affect local law enforcement?

Ted Hoover of Pittsburgh's Persad Center will address these and other questions in a training session, "LGBTQ+ and Law Enforcement," to be held on Wednesday, June 17, in Erie. Members of our queer community, allies, and all other interested individuals are encouraged to attend.

Hoover's return to Erie, sponsored by several local LGBTQ+ organizations, follows a well-attended and well-received session he conducted last year. "Still, They Resisted" focused on unsung heroes of the LGBTQ+ movement, highlighting that "we've been here and queer and fighting for a long time."

This June session will present basic terms and concepts of law enforcement through the lens of the gender-diverse population. Hoover will also review current legal issues, including the lack of laws protecting LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians against discrimination in employment, public accommodation, and housing, and how the 2009 Shepard/Byrd Hate Crime Prevention Act affects local law enforcement.

Admission is free for the one-hour session, which will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Erie Center for Arts & Technology (ECAT), 650 East Avenue, Suite 120, Erie. RSVP here.

The event is being coordinated and sponsored by Aging with Pride, Bears Do Dinner, Compton's Table, Erie Gay News, the LGBT Fund of the Erie Community Foundation, and Presque Isle Rising. Persad Center is a human service organization that has as its mission improving the well-being of the LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS communities across western Pennsylvania, with service centers in Pittsburgh and Washington, PA.

About the Author

Bill Gonda Bill Gonda is a retired communications professional who currently serves as the Chair of the LGBT Fund of The Erie Community Foundation. He lives with his husband and their dachshund, Frankie, in Erie.