Plunging Into Boston Harbor To Raise Funds for GLBTQ-DVP

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On Sunday, Feb. 23 a crowd of diverse individuals including drag queens and bears will face freezing temperatures for the 10th Annual Winter Plunge. Volunteers will plunge into the icy cold waters of Boston Harbor to raise funds for the GLBTQ Domestic Violence Project (GLBTQ-DVP) and to raise awareness of the reality of domestic violence in the GLBTQ communities. The event starts at 11:30 with the plunge to occur at 12 noon at Carson Beach in South Boston.

"We work with the very serious issue of domestic violence 365 days out of the year. When we raise funds, we like to have a little fun," said Curt Rogers, Executive Director of GMDP, of the plungers tradition of dressing in fun costumes, ranging from drag queens to penguins to Elvis Presley.

Research from the Center for Disease Control and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health show that people who identify as GLBTQ experience domestic violence at equal or greater rights than their heterosexual counterparts. But current services are inadequate to meet the needs of the community and there are only five GLBT-specific beds for victims in Massachusetts.

"This is a very real crisis for many in our community" said Adam Dailey, a Boston-based chemist who has plunged for two years as Super-Speedo Boy. "It is not just a straight problem, it is our problem."

Rogers explains that the "winter plunge is a great way for the community to support our work, with plungers raising funds similarly to a standard walkathon. With the conclusion of this year's event, the Winter Plunge will have raised over $90,000 for GLBTQ-DVP."

GLBTQ-DVP, founded in 1994, provides support and services to victims and survivors of domestic violence who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer (GLBTQ). For individuals who are seeking services, the organization has a 24-hour hotline, an emergency safe home, crisis intervention, direct legal representation, sexual assault case management, and police and court accompaniment. ?

For more information on GLBTQ-DVP, call the Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-832-1901?Sexual Assault Help Line at 617-779-2127, or visit www.glbtqdvp.org.