Woodhull Foundation to Host Commission on Entrapment and Harassment at Creating Change
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — February 2, 2023 — Washington, DC
Washington, D.C. – February 2, 2023. The Woodhull Freedom Foundation, the national advocate for sexual rights, will host a human rights commission on the entrapment and harassment of LGBTQ+ people on February 18, part of the Creating Change conference in San Francisco. The Woodhull Commission will be introduced by California State Senator Scott Wiener, whose recent Safer Streets for All Act helped end discriminatory loitering laws in California.
The entrapment and harassment of gay and bi men, trans people, and sex workers by law enforcement is still a widespread threat. Unfortunately, these stories and the human rights violations they entail rarely receive public attention due to shame, media and community bias, stigma, and victim blaming. This pioneering Woodhull Commission seeks to better illustrate the scope of the problem and its devastating impact on individuals and their families, including stigmatizing criminal records, family separation, and loss of employment.
“Too many in our community are still being harassed and arrested due to their sexual expression or perceived identity,” says Ricci Joy Levy, President of Woodhull Freedom Foundation. “This Commission will help shine a light on an issue of which many are unaware, highlighting the lived experiences of those harmed by discriminatory policing. We’re proud to work with Sen. Wiener and Creating Change on this critically important Commission.”
Expert witnesses and policymakers will help frame the discussion, but the Commission itself will center on the testimony of those who have suffered entrapment and harassment at the hands of law enforcement, and who can speak to its devastating effect on their lives.
Following each testimony, Commissioners will detail the human rights violations inherent in the experience. Attendees will engage in facilitated explorations of how various communities are forced to endure these abuses and how to confront and defeat them in ways that can be used in their communities and lives.
Those who have experienced harassment or entrapment and are interested in testifying at the Commission should contact Woodhull here. Tickets for Creating Change are available here.
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ABOUT WOODHULL
Established in February 2003, The Woodhull Freedom Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization devoted to education and public advocacy supporting sexual freedom as a fundamental human right. Our work builds on the affirmations of individual rights contained in the United States Constitution, including the Bill of Rights, and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
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