| Husker Family asked to help victim of Lincoln attack | |
| July 26, 2012 Doug Harris | |
 Following the July 22 attack on a Lincoln woman that has been labeled a hate-crime by investigators from the Lincoln Police Department and the FBI, Nebraska advocacy groups are getting involved to assist the victim. The group Live Without H8 has created a gogetfunding.com page seeking financial support to cover medical and living expenses as the woman recovers physically and emotionally from the attack. The University of Nebraska student resources program is also posting information on how people can help out. The victim, a 33-year-old woman, wishes to remain anonymous at this time. She is a former Nebraska All-Star high school athlete. She was also active in college sports playing for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The crime has attracted national attention because the victim is a lesbian. Gay rights organizations are rallying to show their support and solidarity with the victim and to express their outrage over the home invasion/attack. Several candle light vigils in support of the woman have been held in the Lincoln and Omaha area. Live Without H8 (hate) has formed a subgroup called Huskers Against H8 who wrote, in part, on their Facebook link: On July 22, our friend, sister, teammate, and fellow Nebraska Cornhusker was brutally attacked by three masked men who invaded her Lincoln home and mutilated her during an anti-gay hate crime. Upon hearing this devastating news, her friends have rallied by her side to create this fund to help her meet financial and medical needs. She does not have health insurance and needs help with her medical bills. Her home was also damaged when the criminals attempted to set it on fire. Lets try to restore some of the humanity in her heart, and show her that friends, family, Husker family, and even complete strangers are here to support her. Gay rights activists in the Lincoln area have dubbed the victim Rainbow Jane and have said they hope the authorities can bring her attackers to justice. The police have made no arrests and have only released limited information about the incident. According to the Lincoln Police Department the woman was allegedly assaulted in her home by three masked (white) men who bound her with zip-ties and carved anti-gay epithets on her arms and stomach. They also spray painted anti-gay messages upon the walls inside her house before attempting to start it on fire with gasoline. After the attackers left the woman managed to escape her home and seek help from a neighbor. No medical information has been provided to media, but the victims attorney, Megan Mikolajczyk of Lincoln, said the woman has been released from the hospital. Anyone who wishes to show their support, including offering financial assistance, can contact Live Without H8 Huskers Against H8 by going to http://gogetfunding.com/user/LiveWithoutH8. The University of Nebraska Facebook site Lgbtqa Resource Center at UNL has additional information and listings to other groups on a thread called: How to Help after a Hate Crime. Read more by Doug Harris |
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