M E D I A   R E L E A S E For Immediate Release April 26, 2005 GAY & LESBIAN ANTI-VIOLENCE PROJECT RELEASES DATA ON 2004 HATE INCIDENTS Data Shows 2003’s Dramatic Increases in Anti-LGBT Hate Violence Continued Through 2004 New York – Today, the New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project (AVP) participated in the release of an annual report by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) on violence against lesbians, gay men, transgender individuals, and bisexual people. The report contains information, narratives and data on hate-motivated incidents both nationwide and in the New York region. The data submitted by AVP was primarily drawn from cases in the five boroughs of New York City, but also included cases from Suffolk and Nassau counties on Long Island, northern New Jersey, and the city’s northern suburbs. The report showed that there were 656 incidents reported in the region, 2004 down 2% from 2003. There was also a 3% decrease in offenders. However, the number of victims essentially remained level, increasing less than 1%, from 806 in 2003 to 810 in 2004. Despite the level trend indicated in the data released today, representatives took care to note that 2003 represented a watershed period with respect to the number of victims of hate violence seeking services from the agency. “Though the number of cases, incidents and victims in 2004 was fairly consistent with what we saw in 2003, the fact remains that in 2003 cases in New York jumped 26% over the previous year,” said Clarence Patton, AVP’s Acting Executive Director. “Therefore, what we’re really seeing here is the continuation of an unprecedented and sustained rise in the level of violence experienced by our community,” continued Patton. “Of particular note in the 2004 data we collected in New York were a 10% increase in Latino/a victims, a 5% increase in the number of African-American victims, a 4% rise in victims who identified as heterosexual, and a 22% increase in LGTB organizations that were targeted,” said Patton. “Additionally, assaults with weapons increased 8%; as a result, victim injury rates increased by 5%, with serious injuries increasing 27%. Almost in tandem, the number of victims receiving some level of hospitalization increased 23%,” Patton added. “Just this week we’ve heard that the city’s murder rate has continued to fall. However, the number of anti-LGBT homicide cases fielded by AVP last year increased 29%, from seven to nine,” said Basil Lucas, AVP’s LGTB Hate Violence and Police Relations Program Coordinator. “We recognize that for a city this large in which murders still happen all too often, nine seems like a very small number; but it illustrates that this particular type of murder is not being impacted by the efforts being touted by the police and city officials; perhaps all of us should be looking at ways to decrease this particularly insidious murder rate as well,” concluded Lucas. Finally, as in past years, the largest proportion of the cases (47%) reported to AVP occurred in Manhattan, though agency representatives pointed out that the victims in many of those cases came from all over the city and the Metropolitan Area. Another 17% of the incidents tracked by AVP occurred in Brooklyn; 10% were in the Bronx; while 8% took place in Queens, and 2% were on Staten Island. Another 15% of the incidents in the report occurred either outside the city limits, or in undisclosed areas of the city itself. Selected illustrations from the New York report on anti-LGTB Hate Violence in 2004: In 2004, AVP served over 2,000 victims of violence. AVP’s annual reports on hate and domestic violence can be accessed online at www.avp.org. The New York City Gay & Lesbian Anti-Violence Project (AVP) is the nation's largest service agency for victims of bias crimes against the lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual, and HIV-affected communities. For nearly twenty-five years, AVP has provided counseling and advocacy for thousands of victims of bias-motivated violence as well as for survivors of domestic violence, rape and sexual assault, HIV-related violence, and police misconduct. AVP documents incidents of violence against and within LGTB communities, educates the public about the effects of violence, against or within our communities, and works to reform public policies impacting all lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual, and HIV-affected people. AVP provides free and confidential assistance to crime victims through our 24-hour bilingual hotline (212-714-1141).