Domestic Violence Programs Respond to Death of Ryan C. Anderson
For Immediate Release
October 18, 2022
Contacts: The Network/La Red, Cristina Dones, oeodirector@tnlr.org, 617-695-0877
YWCA of Central MA, Tara Huard, thuard@ywcacm.org
Jane Doe Inc., Toni Troop, TTroop@janedoe.org, 617-212-7571
Boston, MA – About 1 in 4 LGBTQ+ people experience partner abuse in their lifetime, the same alarming rate as straight, cisgender people. The recent death of Ryan C. Anderson, 29 on October 1 in Millbury, MA, which appears to be a domestic violence related homicide involving an LGBTQ+ couple, has prompted The Network/La Red, the YWCA of Central MA, and Jane Doe Inc. to remind the public that services and support are available for LGBTQ+ communities...
...“We are saddened by this tragedy and offer our condolences to Ryan C. Anderson’s loved ones,” said Beth Leventhal, Executive Director of The Network/La Red, a survivor-led organization working to end partner abuse in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities. “This highlights the importance of providing accessible survivor-led resources and services for LGBTQ+ survivors to let them know we support them and their safety.”
Stop Anti-AAPI Hate
The Network/La Red (TNLR) would like to acknowledge the deep pain and grief the shootings in Atlanta on March 16th have caused AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) individuals and communities. Our hearts are with the families and loved ones of the victims of this tragedy, AAPI survivors, and AAPI people.
While reports of what happened at Young’s Asian Massage, Gold Spa, and Aromatherapy Spa refuse to name the motive, it is infuriatingly obvious that AAPI communities were targeted and that a white man chose to take the lives of 8 innocent people, 6 of whom were Asian American women. This is an act of misogynist, racist, xenophobic, and white supremacist violence.* Lives were taken because they were AAPI women who were perceived to be sex workers.** AAPI women are hyper sexualized and fetishized, and that violence stems from the stigmatization and oppression of sex workers, the normalization of violence against women, and the history of American imperial wars in Asia.
Please inform yourself about the history of Anti-AAPI violence and how you can take action against it in support of AAPI lives.
Learn more with our Stop Anti-AAPI Hate Community Resources page.
Statement Re: Capitol Siege
It has been hard to find the words to express the danger and impact the events of January 6 have on our communities and this country. Nothing seems sufficient. It took us a while to gather our thoughts, but all of us at TNLR wanted to make some things abundantly clear:
Black Lives Matter
As an organization rooted in the experience of survivors who are queer and transgender people of color, The Network/La Red (TNLR) recognizes the insidious link between all forms of structural oppression to all tactics of partner abuse. For hundreds of years, our country has been built on the backs of Black, brown, and indigenous folks and is rooted deeply in white supremacy. At TNLR, we acknowledge the ways that oppressive structures condone and reward people who hold structural power (white, cisgender, straight, documented, able-bodied, etc.) to keep and maintain that power at the expense of marginalized people’s lives and humanity.
COVID-19 Statement
We remain here for survivors.
While there is much uncertainty right now due to COVID-19, what is certain is that TNLR is here for survivors. We are monitoring recommendations of the World Health Organization and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and making decisions that are grounded in preserving the safety of survivors, staff, volunteers, and the community at large. With this in mind we have suspended our in-person services for the time being, but our hotline and other services remain open.