San Francisco
outs gay rape

San Francisco officials are backing a new public awareness campaign to shed light on the crime of gay rape, reports of which are growing increasingly common in the city and beyond. On the steps of City Hall on Wednesday, District Attorney Kamala Harris, Supervisor Bevan Dufty, and Chief Heather Fong of the San Francisco Police Department unveiled the campaign, which will feature bus signs, posters, a hotline, and a new Web site, MenSurvivingRape.org.

Posters on the sides of buses will feature photos of men coping with the ordeal, accompanied by the words, "I thought he was a great guy until he raped me." "Rape is wrong no matter the gender, no matter the sexuality," Dufty said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. "Our city is prepared to come forward and extend a hand."

Harris's Victim Services Division has an LGBT unit, which is staffed by a lesbian and a gay man who serve as advocates for LGBT crime victims. (The Advocate)