The Federal Bureau of Investigation ( FBI ) released its annual report on hate crimes in the United States, finding that 2018 saw a rise in anti-LGBTQ hate crimes across the nation—up nearly a percent when compared to the FBI's 2017 report.
The report, "Hate Crime Statistics, 2018," includes hate-crime data that is broken down by location, offenders, bias types and victims. More than 16,000 law-enforcement agencies reported their hate crime statistics to the FBI last year.
There were 7,036 single-bias incidents that involved 8,327 offenses, 8,646 victims, and 6,188 known offenders. Of the 8,327 single-bias hate crime offenses, 16.9 percent resulted from sexual-orientation bias while 2.2 percent stemmed from gender-identity discrimination.
"As our culture grows more and more divisive, fueled largely by an anti-LGBTQ White House, a permission slip has been given for some Americans to act on their worst instincts and to target others," said GLAAD President/CEO Sarah Kate Ellis in a press release. "This report should sound an alarm that we all must do better to create a country where marginalized communities are safe and protected against hate violence. Violent hate crimes against LGBTQ people are a pervasive issue that needs to be addressed by politicians and law enforcement in a bipartisan and urgent way."
The full FBI report is at FBI.gov/news/stories/2018-hate-crime-statistics-released-111219 .
