Some 250 to 300 Asheville area residents turned out this evening for a peaceful march and demonstration to protest several alleged anti-gay incidents in the downtown area and nearby neighborhoods as well as deter any future such incidents.

Asheville has long had a reputation as a city that is welcoming, tolerant and inclusive of its lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and queer (LGBTQ) citizens. It is a destination that is known wide and far for its many independent restaurants, artists, music scene and a diverse and colorful populace.

But, as with many other cities, there are always some folks who don't appreciate or respect the LGBTQ community here.  Reportedly there have been five separate apparently anti-gay incidents. None of the victims have come forward publicly or filed reports with the Asheville Police Department (APD) because they are afraid.

In speaking with some folks at Tod's Tasties, the stepping-off point for the march, I did learn that there have been at least three attacks or incidents between the Clingman Avenue Bridge and Cumberland Avenue in the Montford area.

The organizers of We Are Not Bashful worked closely with the APD to ensure the marchers would be safe and respected along the route. ONe of those organizers, Samantha Soper said in email on May 6th that when she met with Police Chief William Hogan, she found the APD to be "supportive of the rally."

Soper also relayed in that email that "they [the Asheville Police] just want to help and keep everyone saf,e" which is indictive of the APD taking hate crimes seriously; they just need to know about them in order to prevent them and to apprehend the perpetrators.

Having been a victim of anti-gay crimes in the past, I know both how hard it is to go to the police and how important it is to do just that. If the police don't have reports of hate crimes, they don't have the information they need to do their job of protecting the LGBTQ community and the community as a whole.

I encourage anyone who is victimized because of their LGBTQ identity to go to the police. Often you can file a report and remain anonymous and doing so may help prevent someone else from being hurt or threatened in the future.

Ultimately, I'd like to see the APD develop an LGBTQ Liaison position. Many other cities in North Carolina and South Carolina have liaison officers for the gay community. Asheville needs one and that may help make it easier for victims of hate crimes to go to the police. I think Chief Hogan would be open to the idea, we just need to ask for it and then help them find the funding for it in an ever-shrinking budget. But if they asked me whether Asheville needs another Segway cop or a LGBTQ liaison officer, I'd vote for the liaison.