Hate Violence Up for LGBT People, in New York Area and the Nation, Says Report

By Steven Thrasher
 

A flyer from a 2010 vigil for gay teens who committed suicide

Violence against gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender people was up last year, both in New York City and the nation at large, according to the 2010 National Report on Hate Violence. The report was released today by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. While 2010 will be remembered as the year people like Tyler Clementi triggered a greater awareness of teen suicide, it will also go down as a record year of violence against LGBT people, particularly in "safe" neighborhoods in New York City.

Across a broad variety of factors, the incidents of violence were up. Some highlights from the report's executive summary:

• Reports of anti-LGBTQH hate violence increased by 13% from 2009 to 2010
• Anti-LGBTQH murders increased 23% from 2009 (22 murders) to 2010 (27 murders), the second highest amount in a decade
• LGBTQH people of color were disproportionately impacted by murder. LGBTQH people of color comprised 70% of all LGBTQH murder victims in 2010 but only represented 55% of total reports
• Transgender women were disproportionately impacted by murder. 44% of LGBTQH murder victims were transgender women, yet only 11% of total reports came from transgender women.
• 50.1% of survivors did not report to the police.
• 53% of hate violence occurs in a private residence or on the street.
• White people were the highest proportion of hate violence offenders.

Especially noteworthy last year were a series of attacks that occurred in and around gay bars in the West Village and Chelsea, which have long been mistakenly thought to be safe neighborhoods.   To review the full report, click here.

Steven Thrasher's article was originally published in the Village Voice on July 12, 2011.