After Attack, Supporters to Hold Hands Across Hawthorne Bridge

At 7: 30 p.m. on Sunday, May 29, Portland's LGBTQ organizations will lead a statement of solidarity on the Hawthorne Bridge to call attention to the recent hateful attack on two gay men.

The violence seems to have been sparked by the fact that the two young men were holding hands. This incident took place on the East Bank Esplanade, Hawthorne Bridge span. This violence falls almost a year, to the date, since the 2010 gay bashings that sparked the creation of the Q Patrol- a group of trained volunteers who walk the streets of Portland on select nights to promote safety and tolerance.

This Sunday, Basic Rights Oregon, Cascade AIDS Project, Pride Northwest, and The Q Center with Q Patrol have urged their supporters to meet on the downtown side of the Hawthorne Bridge at 7:30 PM. Hand in hand, supporters will span the entire length of the bridge, in a show of support for the victims of the May 22 attack and for the right to show love, regardless of sexual orientation.

In committing agency resources to the effort, Michael Kaplan, Cascade AIDS Project Executive Director, stated, "I see this as core to what CAP is about. As long as affection between men is pushed down, hidden, and can even result in violence - then how can we have healthy sexuality that includes conversations on what we need to do to protect ourselves?"