Violent crimes against LGBT individuals up 13%, report says

[w8liftinglady]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/07/violent-crimes-against-gays-up-13-report-says.html

An 18-year-old gay man from Texas allegedly slain by a high-school classmate who believed his friend was making advances toward him; a 31-year-old transgender woman from Pennsylvania found dead with a pillowcase around her head; and a 24-year-old lesbian from Florida purportedly killed by her girlfriend’s father, who disapproved of the relationship.

The homicides are a sampling of 2010 hate crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people compiled by a national coalition of anti-hate organizations.

The report, released Tuesday, showed a 13% increase over 2009 in violent crimes committed against people because of their perceived or actual sexual orientation, gender identity or status as HIV positive, according to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Projects.

Last year's homicide count reached 27 -- up from 22 in 2009 and the second-highest number since the coalition began tracking such crimes in 1996. Of those killed, the data show, 70% were minorities and 44% were transgender women. The attacks also show a higher level of brutality, the report concludes.

[xchrom]

1. ...

:mad:

[izquierdista]

2. How much of this is better reporting?

With the background of violent crime going down (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/01/AR2010010101829.html), I'm going to hypothesize that most, if not all, of this increase is because sexual orientation can now be discussed as the motive, as opposed to being swept under the rug. If the true counts for previous years were known, I'll bet there would be a change in the data and its trend.

[Evasporque]

4. Does it matter? People are still being killed violently for being gay....nt

[Creideiki]

5. So that must be true of all other categories, too, right?

[yardwork]

6. That's probably a factor, but hate groups are on the rise, too.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has found an incredible increase in hate groups since 2000, and for the first time SPLC is categorizing some virulently anti-gay groups as hate groups. It looks like violence anti-gay hatred is increasing, which makes sense as people appalled by the increase in rights fight back.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

3. One of the main reasons for the firearms classes I teach being full

I "specialize" in LBTQI and women...and the demand is growing