HIV and LGBT hate violence rose 13 percent in 2010, coalition report says

Created: July 13, 2011 12:24 | Last updated: July 31, 2020 00:00

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A report released Tuesday shows that hate violence against the LGBT and HIV-affected communities rose 13 percent in the U.S. in 2010. #

The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs report (.pdf), “Hate Violence Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and HIV-Affected Communities in the United States in 2010,” shows that: #

27 murders of LGBT and HIV-affected people were documented; the second-highest yearly total ever recorded;

Among those reporting, transgender people and people of color faced the most severe hate violence; and

Reports of violent crime increased 13 percent for all LGBT and HIV-affected people.

The Anti-Violence coalition is a national organization that works to prevent, respond to and end all forms of violence against and within the LGBT and HIV-positive communities. #

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports today: #

An 18-year-old gay man from Texas allegedly slain by a classmate who feared a sexual advance. A 31-year-old transgender woman from Pennsylvania found dead with a pillowcase around her head. A 24-year-old lesbian from Florida purportedly killed by her girlfriend’s father, who disapproved of the relationship. #

The homicides are a sampling of 2010 crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people compiled by a national coalition of anti-hate organizations. #

The report, released Tuesday, showed a 13% increase over 2009 in violent crimes committed against people because of their perceived or actual sexual orientation, gender identity or status as HIV positive, according to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. #

The report indicates that 70 percent of the murder victims were people of color, but they only represented 55 percent of the total reports, adding that “communities of color and transgender communities are particularly impacted by murder because they face multiple forms of discrimination based upon their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. These multiple forms of discrimination can result in first responders discriminating against these communities as well by demonstrating indifferent police attitudes or by refusing to categorize violence as an identity-based hate crime.” #

In its report, the coalition includes a collection of stories (.pdf) of survivors of hate violence. The document explains that the stories were selected to highlight important demographic and incident information as well as the role of support services. It adds that the stories are not anonymous because this information is public and critical to understanding which identities are most vulnerable to violence. #