Log Cabin Republicans Oppose Leaving LGBT Americans Out of the Violence Against Women Act

“Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act passed the Senate with strong bipartisan support under the leadership of Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID). Unfortunately, the bill presented by Congresswoman Sandy Adams (R-FL) guts important provisions out of the legislation, and therefore this watered down version of VAWA should be rejected,” said R. Clarke Cooper, Log Cabin Republicans Executive Director. “Nobody should be able to get away with domestic abuse just because their victim is gay, transgender, an immigrant or Native American, and nobody should be denied help in recovering from abuse. Log Cabin Republicans thank Representatives Judy Biggert (R-IL), Tom Cole (R-OK) and Bob Dold (R-IL) for their leadership in supporting an LGBT-inclusive version of VAWA in the House of Representatives.”

Congresswoman Judy Biggert said, “Unfortunately, the current proposal doesn’t reflect everything we’ve learned over the last five years in terms of what works best for prosecutors or victims, especially in the LGBT community. A strong VAWA reauthorization should clarify the law to reflect what everyone knows – that anyone can be a victim of domestic violence. It can happen in a same-sex household or on a college campus, and our victim-service providers on the front lines just want to know that they can help anyone who comes through the door.”