Yetta Kurland Civil Rights Attorney speaks up re: Gay Bashing in Queens --Gay or Straight this effects us all.

CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY YETTA KURLAND RESPONDS TO NEWS OF MAN BRUTALLY ATTACKED IN GAY BASHING IN QUEENS - CALLS ON MAYOR AND SPEAKER TO PASS LEGISLATION TO STOP SUCH ATTACKS New York, NY. October 12, 2009. "I am both humbled and outraged over the news of a senseless brutal beating of a gay man in Queens. This, on the heels of more than one report of gay bashing in my own neighborhood here in the 3rd District, makes it clear that we as a community of New Yorkers must come together to put an end to bias violence. Gay or straight, whether we belong to the groups that are targeted for bias or not, this effects us all. "Violence anywhere towards any group of people creates an environment that is unsafe for all of us. "I call on the Mayor and the Speaker to respond to our community's efforts to remedy this by taking action including passing legislation that is currently languishing in City Council to create resources for sensitivity training for City agencies, and to enforce laws already passed like Dignity in Our Schools Act which both the Mayor and Speaker have refused to enforce and which would protect our children from violence and teach our children compassion and non-violence."