ALGBTICAL

According to Morris Dees, Founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, "Threats like the one above keep me up at night. It's not so much that I worry about my own safety, despite the many plots to kill me. What worries me more is the danger to members of our staff — the dedicated people behind our courtroom victories and our work teaching tolerance in the nation's schools. When racists plot to blow up our building, I'm not the only one at risk of being killed. It's them, too. I can't, in good conscience, put my colleagues in harm's way without making sure we're doing everything within reason to protect them."

"We're targeted because we do more than any other private organization in America to stand up to the radical right," says Morris Dees. "Just last week, we won the appeal of our $1.3 million verdict against a notorious Klan leader. And, our recent work to stop anti-LGBT bullying and to protect immigrants' rights has angered many. My colleagues are in the trenches every day, fighting hate and injustice — and accepting the risk that comes with it."

Morris Dees adds, "Our security consultant, a former CIA agent, tells me that our legal actions "have placed the Center and its personnel in the crosshairs of virulently racist and heavily armed groups."

September 2009

Several Alabama counselors (ALCA members) reported having received hate mail from an unidentified sender apparently intent on harassing individuals who are LGBT allies and advocates.

The content of the letter is a rambling and unintelligible tirade against the evils of homosexuality and its pervasive presence in our society. The general tone is hateful and offensive, littered with biblical references and derogatory terminology. Generally innocuous, and somewhat illiterate, it is mostly nothing more than ignorant drivel.

Based on the profile of the recipients of the hate mail message, the sender seemed to be targeting LPCs in private practice who advertised that their counseling services were available to LGBT persons.

If you are a counselor in private practice, you are advised to consider your response, your course of action, and perhaps an office emergency plan. Consider the following tips.

If this happens to you:

1. Save the letter and envelope, touching it as little as possible.

2. Contact the postal authorities and file a report.

3. Contact the local area FBI office, this is a federal offense.

4. Contact your local police department. Ask for extra patrols for your office area or home if you see clients there.

5. Be aware of any new clients who give sketchy information and want an appointment.

6. If you are in an office alone, make sure to have an emergency code with your office neighbors—whether it is a hit on the wall, excusing yourself to go to the bathroom, saying you need to call another counselor to assist you, etc.

7. We recommend whether you are in a school, agency or individual office, you set up with others that if you call and say “I have a client that I need help, can you come?” What that means is call the authorities and get several people here immediately. While we hope it would never come to that for any of us, having this or a similar procedure might be life-saving.

Even if it is likely nothing further will develop from such hail mail distributions, it is better to be prepared, be proactive, and develop an emergency plan just in case an incident does occur, than to be sorry later.