M E D I A   R E L E A S E For Immediate Release May 22, 2006 GAY & LESBIAN ANTI-VIOLENCE PROJECT RELEASES DATA ON 2005 HATE INCIDENTS Data Shows 2003 and 2004 Increases in Anti-LGBT Hate Violence Abated Somewhat in 2005 New York – This past Thursday, the New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project 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 the Anti-Violence Project 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 566 incidents reported in the region, 2005 down 13% from 2004. There was also a 14% decrease in victims (from 804 to 689), but the level of offenders only declined half as much as that of either incidents or offenders (7%).  The relative intractability of offender levels was mirrored in the national data included in the report. Despite the declines noted in the data released today, representatives took care to note that cases in the New York City area jumped 26% in 2003; even after a slight decline in 2004, and the more significant one in 2005, reports are still up over 10% from four years ago. "If we felt that the decline in reports last year was the front-end of a real trend, we'd be very happy," said Clarence Patton, the Anti-Violence Project's executive director.  "However, none of us is under the illusion that it more than represents a brief respite from the unprecedented rise in anti-LGBT sentiment and violence in New York and across the country in the last few years," Patton continued. "Already, it appears that in 2006 reports of violence are on the rise, and this is something that our sister organizations around the country are also noticing," said Patton.  "In many ways, we're fortunate here in New York to be in an extraordinarily tolerant and diverse city, however our tolerance and diversity does not protect us from the waves of political, cultural and physical hatred and violence sweeping across our community and families nationwide," Patton added.  "After the 2004 election season was over and LGTB people had been used successfully in some places as grist for the right-wing mill, the hateful, anti-LGTB rhetoric died down a bit in many places - until his State of the Union this year, the President hadn't mentioned same-sex marriage since before his reelection - but now we see anti-same-sex marriage amendments and anti-gay adoption bills on ballots across the country while Senate Majority leader Frist is determined to introduce the Federal Marriage Amendment in early June.  We are clearly once again in the sights of those acting to marginalize us and incite violence against us," Patton said. Of particular note in the 2005 data collected by the Anti-Violence Project were significant declines in both Latino/a and African-American victims.  Reports from such victims fell 22% and 25% respectively, while the number of white victims fell only 2%.  At the same time, though comprising far fewer numbers of victims, the number of reports from both Arab/ Middle Eastern and Asian victims rose 100%.  "Given some of the high-profile incidents last year involving African-American victims in particular, I'm sure the fact that overall reports from them declined might surprise some, but though cases might receive significant attention as a result of the extraordinary levels of violence involved, they may not prove to be indicative of an overall trend during the course of a year.  Nevertheless, even after dropping in 2005, the number of African-American victims is still up 17% since 2002, the year before the current heightened atmosphere of violence for LGTB people began in earnest," Patton concluded. Finally, as in past years, the largest proportion of the cases reported to AVP (50%) 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 16% of the incidents tracked by the Anti-Violence Project occurred in Brooklyn; 10% were in the Bronx, while 8% took place in Queens; 2% were on Staten Island; 3% occurred on Long Island; 2% of reports were from New Jersey, and 3% were from Westchester County or Upstate New York. Another 4% of the incidents in the report occurred in undisclosed areas of the City itself. In 2005, the Anti-Violence Project served over 2,000 victims of violence. The Anti-Violence Project’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 is the nation's largest service agency for victims of bias crimes against the lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual, and HIV-affected communities. Since 1980, the Anti-Violence Project has provided counseling and advocacy for tens of thousands of survivors of bias-motivated and domestic violence, rape and sexual assault, HIV-related violence, and police misconduct. The Anti-Violence Project 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. The Anti-Violence Project provides free and confidential assistance to crime victims through its 24-hour bilingual hotline (212-714-1141). ### Selected illustrations from the New York report on anti-LGTB Hate Violence in 2005: