For Immediate Release April 25, 2003 2002 HATE INCIDENTS Big Increases Seen In Reports From Young Victims; Weapons Use Rises
New York –
Today, the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) released its annual report on violence against lesbians, gay men, bisexual people and transgender individuals. The report examines data compiled from over 1,900 hate-related incidents in twelve cities and regions across the country: Chicago, Cleveland, Colorado, Columbus, OH, Connecticut, Houston, Los Angeles, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York City, and San Francisco. Additional information was received from Pennsylvania.
NCAVP's report is the most complete such examination of violence against LGBT people. Each year, the FBI publishes its own report on hate crimes, which includes anti-LGBT incidents, but it consistently contains information on far fewer cases than the NCAVP publication because it relies on law enforcement reports of such crimes rather than victim service organization data.
Overall, NCAVP's report notes a small increase of 1% in reported incidents of anti-LGBT violence. At the same time, the total number of victims rose 3%, from 2,189 in 2001 to 2,254 in 2002. Interestingly, the number of offenders fell 5%, possibly indicating a decrease in the level of gang-type or youth initiation violence targeting LGBT people, according to NCAVP.
Despite the possible fall in gang-type and initiation-fueled attacks, incident reports from victims aged 18 and under grew at a shocking rate of 164%. While not underplaying the problem of violence against young LGBT people, the report was careful to characterize the rise in reports from this group as a function of better connections between young people and anti-violence programs, as well as the increased visibility and empowerment of young LGBT people, rather than an actual rise in attacks on young people.
The report also highlighted the continuing increase in assaults (+1%), with a significant rise in the number of assaults involving weapons (+10%). Consequently, the number of victims sustaining injuries continued to rise 3%, with the number of victims sustaining serious injuries rising 5%.
"This report details a year of the discrimination, harassment and brutality faced by LGBT people in twelve communities and regions across the country," said Clarence Patton, NCAVP's Acting Executive Director. "This year, we focus in particular on changes in the dynamics of hate-motivated violence as the nation moves through the stresses of a declining economy, fears of terrorism, war in the Middle East and surges of 'patriotism.' Additionally, this year's report has important information about anti-LGBT violence experienced by young people and unfortunately, we recognize that though this report is the most extensive of its kind, it's still only a snapshot of what types of violence LGBT people across the country are truly experiencing," said Patton.
"This report illustrates that our communities continue to be under siege by those who would act out their hatred in violent and sometimes deadly ways. Clearly, there is much that our nation's leaders should be doing to mitigate this problem, however, using the carelessness, ignorance and impropriety embodied in Senator Santorum's comments only days ago as an example, it is unlikely that we will be able to count on those leaders at any point in the near future, so the work of these programs must continue, and must be supported," concluded Patton.
PDF versions of the Report and its Executive Summary are available at www.avp.org. For regional contact information in any of the reporting areas, call 212-714-1184, x55.
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