New 2016 statistics released by the FBI on Nov. 13 show increases in hate-crimes against persons on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation bias.
According to the report, about 6,121 hate crimes were reported in 2016, representing an increase of about five percent. Of those, 1,076 crimes were directed against persons on the basis of their sexual orientation—an increase of about two percent—while 124 were on the basis of gender identity—an increase of about nine percent.
Human Rights Campaign Government Affairs Director David Stacy said in a statement that the numbers are more than likely incomplete: "The Trump administration, state and local jurisdictions must do more to prevent and respond to hate crimes. The numbers in this report are harrowing, and we know that a majority of hate crimes go unreported to the FBI and aren't reflected in this report."
Stacy added that politicians must be more vigorous in addressing anti-LGBT bigotry and championing anti-discrimination policies, further noting that such strategies also "requires vigorous enforcement of hate crimes laws, which can deter and address violence motivated by bigotry. This year alone, at least 25 transgender woman have been murdered in the U.S.—a vast majority of them women of color."
Of 111 hate-crimes reported by law enforcement agencies in Illinois, 21 were on the basis of sexual orientation and three were on the basis of gender identity. About 14 of the sexual orientation-based crimes took place in Chicago, as did two of the gender-identity based crimes.
Data for the report was compiled with reports from 15,254 agencies across the country participating in the federal Uniform Crime Reporting Program ( UCR ).
The report can be read at bit.ly/2mpyJvl .
Press rekease: New FBI Data Shows Increased Reported Incidents of Anti-LGBTQ Hate Crimes in 2016
http://www.hrc.org/blog/new-fbi-data-shows-increased-reported-incidents-of-anti-lgbtq-hate-crimes-
The Federal Bureau of Investigation ( FBI ) has released hate crime statistics [ ucr.fbi.gov/hate-crime/2016/hate-crime ] for 2016 . This information, released at the start of Transgender Awareness Week, highlights the ongoing epidemic of anti-transgender violence
In 2016, 6,121 hate crime incidents were reported —an increase of five percent from 2015. Of the 6,121 incidents reported,1,076 were based on sexual orientation bias and 124 were based on gender identity bias. These numbers reflect a two percent and nine percent increase, respectively
Of the 124 incidents based on gender identity, 19 targeted gender non-conforming people, a decrease of 54 percent from 2015. Yet, of those same 124 incidents,105 targeted transgender people, an increase of 44 percent from 2015.
However, these numbers likely represent only a fraction of such cases, given that reporting hate crimes to the FBI is not mandatory. Thousands of law enforcement agencies throughout the country did not submit any data. And while the number of jurisdictions reporting hate crimes data increased to 15,251 in 2016 from 14,997 in 2015, this is still less than the 15,494 agencies that reported in 2014. The lack of mandatory reporting means that the FBI data, while helpful, paints a very incomplete picture of hate crimes against LGBTQ Americans.
Jurisdictions with populations of more than 250,000 were among the thousands of. law enforcement agencies across the country that did not submit hate crimes data, and the vast majority of those — 88 percent — simply indicated to the FBI that no hate crimes had occurred. More than 90 cities with more than 100,000 residents either affirmatively reported zero hate crimes or ignored the FBI request for their 2016 hate crime data.
Over the past year, HRC has been calling on the Trump administration to do more to respond to hate crimes. In March, HRC joined 155 other civil and human rights organizations [ www.hrc.org/blog/156-civil-and-human-rights-groups-call-for-stronger-response-to-hate-incide ] in urging the Trump administration to more strongly respond to bias-motivated acts of violence and intimidation. The letter cited examples of hate incidents, including the murder of seven transgender women of color, the February shooting targeting two Indian Hindu Americans in Kansas, and the numerous bomb threats against Jewish organizations and houses of worship, among others.
In addition, in September, HRC joined [ www.hrc.org/blog/80-groups-highlight-actions-department-of-justice-can-take-to-respond-to-an ] more than 80 organizations on a letter to Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore at the Department of Justice ( DOJ ) Civil Rights Division outlining steps that the DOJ should take in the wake of white supremacist violence in Charlottesville and in response to other bias-motivated crimes across the country . The letter also highlights the coalition's broader priorities to help inform the DOJ's plan of action to prevent and respond to hate violence.
Since the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act ( HCPA ) in 2009, HRC has worked with the FBI to update the agency's crime reporting, from providing training materials to sharing details on hate crimes when they occur. HRC continues to press for improved reporting, passage of state laws that protect LGBTQ individuals from hate crimes, and expanded education and training initiatives.
The Anti-Defamation League has mapped the hate crime incidents that were reported in cities with populations of more than 100,000 and includes information on reported hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity biases. You can view this map at the link: www.adl.org/adl-hate-crime-map .
