Hate crimes against LGBT community increase in 2009
Friday, July 23, 2010 at 7:22 am
- 13 Comments
According to a report by OutFront Minnesota and the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP), hate crimes in the state increased in 2009. Violent crimes motivated by anti-LGBT sentiment climbed 64 percent in 2009, and 93 percent of victims required some sort of medical attention.
Most disturbing for LGBT advocates was a 138 percent increase in crimes against LGBT people under age 18.
There were a number of high-profile instances of anti-LGBT violence and harassment in 2009. In late-January, Kristen Boyne was walking home from her job in Minneapolis’ Uptown neighborhood when two men beat her, leaving her unconscious.
In June, a group of Somali youths threw rocks and harassed a man leaving the Twin Cities Pride Festival near Loring Park.
And in Minneapolis’ Northeast neighborhood, a group of people were attacked by a man shouting anti-gay slurs.
“We are deeply concerned,” said Rebecca Waggoner Kloek who runs OutFront’s anti-violence programming. In a statement, she said the increase in Minnesota, 64 percent, is alarming considering the increase nationwide is 7 percent.
There was a 104 percent “increase in the number of incidents involving multiple offenders” and “a 72 percent increase in assault or attempted assault.” Harassment cases were up 325 percent. According to the report, the most common weapons used were bats, bricks, rocks and knives. There was an 80 percent increase in the use of sexual violence during attacks. And the report showed a 29 percent increase in the number of attacks targeting people who are transgender.
“These findings also show that violence directed at LGBTQ Minnesotans continues to become more brutal and more likely to be perpetrated by groups rather than individual assailants,” Kloek said. “We are still in danger. Anti-violence work is unfortunately as vital as ever before and we must continue to strive to create safe streets, homes and workplaces. We must demand that the larger community and criminal justice systems hold perpetrators accountable for their actions.”
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Comment posted July 23, 2010 @ 11:03 am
Thanks for getting the word out, Andy. GLBTQ folks have made a lot of progress, but vigilance is still vital.
I hope people check out the report and, if this kind of violence touches their lives, I hope they’ll take the time to report it so we might stop the people behind these attacks.
Comment posted July 23, 2010 @ 4:58 pm
I’m calling BS on this report by those obviously biased organizations.
Comment posted July 23, 2010 @ 9:32 pm
This report should be a “bellweather” warning to straight people who dissent from the right wing lies. Divide and conquer.
Comment posted July 24, 2010 @ 8:55 pm
The homophobes resent all intrusions into their dream world.
Comment posted July 25, 2010 @ 8:23 am
I guess if you’re gay in Minnesota you’d better be packing heat. The great equalizer! It time we fight for our rights in the only way its understood here in this country. For me, equality or death!
Comment posted July 26, 2010 @ 1:33 pm
How can you call bs? are you saying if your beaten up because your gay, its not a hate crime?
The extremist religious cult like clans of our city are the ones that instill this type of behavior.
Its time to take the fear out of life, its time to take religion out of politics.
Comment posted July 27, 2010 @ 7:14 am
Religion out of politics? Hate crimes are being committed by religious politicians? What?
In an America of today where crimes against LGBT
are few and far between, don’t you think it’s counterproductive to go blaming what little there is on
“extremist religious cult like clans”,”homophobes”,”right wing lies” and whatever other bigoted false accusations you wish to make when for every anti-Gay hate crime that occurs, that there are dozens of children of the people you’re pointing out molested by LGBT individuals?
Comment posted July 28, 2010 @ 12:49 pm
“Mailer Daemon” has so many holes in his argument (and, possibly, his head) that it’s hard to know where to start with the spackle.
“In an America of today where crimes against LGBT
are few and far between” — hello, did you read the article before you posted?
“it’s counterproductive to go blaming what little there is on “extremist religious cult like clans”,”homophobes”,”right wing lies””
Ah yes, the poor homophobes, they get blamed for everything. Extremist religious cults that advocate the death penalty for other folks’ private sexual behavior are really just good souls at heart. And of course Fox “News” isn’t made-up nonsense to roil the waters, it’s “fair and balanced.” (Depending on how far you can push the definitions of those words.)
“there are dozens of children of the people you’re pointing out molested by LGBT individuals?” — read the statistics, Bubba. Nearly all child molestations are carried out by HETEROSEXUALS who are more often than not relatives of the child. If you’d like a sprinkling of fact on your heaping (steaming) pile of opinion, you might check out medicine.net on the subject. http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=51182
Comment posted July 30, 2010 @ 10:24 pm
Well, both as a politician and as a reporter, I have backed human rights for gay people, against discrimination in housing, against hate crimes (I had an interesting discussion with some U.S. Justice Department operatives and a Boston police commander which I reported), etc.
I think that the attack on Christianity however comes not from suspicion that Christians have carried out these attacks, but rather from the perception that Christians view homosexuality as a sin. That’s the big stickler. Christianity is under attack including here in these posts. But we should all work to limit gratuitous violence.
I believe that gays openly participating in politics today could be more effective if they focused on real political issues, and not just on themselves and their occasional rejection of and disdain for the straight life-style, family values and the like. Just like in the U.S. military. Gayness is not the issue, national defense is. In politics, gayness is not the issue, attacking straights isn’t the issue, advancing our governance through following the Constitution and making our country competitive so we can enjoy a high quality of life, including a spiritual life, through our liberties and property, and our compassion, that’s the issue. I believe that is possible. I also think we can all believe in and love God our Creator.
Comment posted August 1, 2010 @ 2:49 pm
Baloney. All “attacks” on Christianity in the media are the direct result of Christians forgetting that this is a free country, and forgetting to mind their own damn business, and give up on Christian Dominion.
Whenever a Xtian whines that their faith or values or tradition is under attack, it means nothing more than they’re not getting their way, one way or another.
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