We value all of you, our retail partners, for your diversity and perspectives. We also feel that as violence has escalated across the country, we need to take a stand and keep our friends safe from this growing epidemic of hate. We have even seen incidents in our bucolic Brooklyn neighborhood. To help protect each and every member of the Umlaut community, we are partnering with the New York City Anti-Violence Project for 2023/24.
Forty-two years ago, AVP was founded by local activists when New York City police and officials refused to respond to hate violence against the LGBTQ community. Survivors and their allies took to the streets to advocate for themselves and resolved to support one another once the realization came that no local or city officials would provide the life-saving services needed. Through grassroots efforts and community support, AVP has become the largest LGBTQ-specific anti-violence program in the country and reaches over 11,000 people annually through a 24/7 crisis hotline, legal department, social services, trainings, and events.
In response to a research project exploring the safety of LGBTQ individuals, community spaces, and institutions, AVP is scaling up to become a national organization. It is currently engaged in conversations with the White House and several federal departments about the research and is also working to ensure that the LGBTQ communities and allies feel secure in all spaces through advocacy, training, and other direct supports.
Umlaut is honored to partner with the New York City Anti-Violence Project to address these pressing and life-altering issues. We invite you to join us. Umlaut will sponsor an AVP online training this winter. The training will provide strategies to help each of us stand up, support, and keep each other safe, especially within your store environment
If you would like to discuss this, please contact us at umlautbrooklyn@gmail.com. If you would like to arrange a training for your store staff, please email development@avp.org or call 212-714-1184. Umlaut and AVP look forward to standing up with you and helping keep all our customers safe.
If you or anyone you know has experienced violence, call 212-714-1141 for free and immediate crisis counseling and safety planning. To learn more, please visit www.avp.org