Cara Thaxton, 26, is the Victim Advocacy Coordinator at Horizons/Center on Halsted, where she does presentations at high schools, college classrooms and work places. Her work focuses on hate crimes, school harassment and sexual assault within the GLBT community. She has also worked with the Mayor’s Office on domestic violence awareness and was awarded the Outstanding Advocacy Award from the Cook County State’s Attorney. Cara has also been active as an advocate in court by sitting in on trials for GLBT victims of violence and providing support. In the court setting, she has also educated State Attorneys about GLBT issues. Prior to her work in the GLBT community, Cara worked for the Neopolitan Light House, a local resource for women who are victims of heterosexual domestic violence.
Cara cites one of her role models as Dr. Barbara Strassberg, a sociology professor who incited Cara’s passion for minorities who are oppressed.
Cara plans to enroll in graduate school in fall 2005 to get her master’s degree in social work with a focus on GLBT survivors of violence.