Speedos and Drag Queens and Bears, Oh My!

On Sunday, February 22nd a crowd of over 30 diverse individuals will face freezing temperatures and towering snow banks on the beach to plunge into the icy cold waters of Boston Harbor-- all for a great cause; to raise funds for the GLBTQ Domestic Violence Project (GLBTQ-DVP) and to raise awareness of the reality of domestic violence in the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer (GLBTQ) communities. The event starts at 11:30 with the plunge to occur at 12 noon at Carson Beach in South Boston.

Continuing with tradition, most plungers will dress in fun costumes, ranging from drag queens to penguins to Elvis Presley. According to Curt Rogers, Executive Director of GLBTQ-DVP, "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."

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 rates than their heterosexual counterparts. However, current services are inadequate to meet the needs of the community and there are only five GLBT-specific shelter or safe home beds for victims in Massachusetts.

"Domestic violence is a real and serious issue for the LGBT community" says Annie Thompson, a marketing associate in Boston who is plunging this year as Glitter Girl. "It doesn't just happen in straight relationships, it happens in our community and we need to be part of the solution."

Rogers explains that the "'The Winter Plunge' is a great way for the community to support our work, with plungers raising funds similarly to a standard walk-athon. With the conclusion of this year's event, the 'Winter Plunge' will have raised over $100,000 for GLBTQ-DVP."

"The 11th Annual Winter Plunge" takes place Sunday Feb 22, 12 noon, at South Boston's Carson Beach. Locate through Google Maps. For more information please visit www.glbtqdvp.org.