Hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people surge, FBI says
18.10.2023 - 09:21
/ qvoicenews.com
Venice Pride flies the world’s largest rainbow pride flag at Windward Plaza during the 2018 event. The FBI has found an alarming rise in hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community, according to its annual crime report for 2022. Photo: Adam Fossier
The FBI has found an alarming rise in hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community, according to its annual crime report for 2022.
The FBI data reveals a 13.8% increase in hate crimes based on sexual orientation and a striking 32.9% surge in those targeting gender identity compared to the previous year.
Specifically, the report documented 1,947 incidents relating to sexual orientation in 2022, up from 1,711 in 2021.
Additionally, incidents concerning gender identity rose to 469 from 353. Within the gender identity category, 338 instances were specifically anti-transgender, and 131 targeted individuals who were gender-nonconforming.
The Human Rights Campaign, a leading LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, expressed grave concern over these statistics, emphasizing the situation’s urgency.
“The rise in hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community is both shocking and heartbreaking, yet sadly, not unexpected,” Kelley Robinson, HRC’s president, said in a statement.
She pointed to a “constant stream of hostile rhetoric from fringe anti-equality figures” and a wave of discriminatory bills, especially those aimed at transgender individuals, contributing to this dangerous climate.
Robinson also shed light on the incompleteness of the data, indicating that numerous cities and states have been reporting either incomplete or no data on anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes. She stressed the need for a comprehensive account of such crimes to counteract this escalating violence effectively.
The FBI’s report also