(Photo via the FBI’s Facebook)
Anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes remained high in 2024 despite the overall decline in violence and other crimes according to data from the FBI’s annual crime report that was released on Aug. 5.
Attacks motivated by a victim’s sexual orientation comprised about 17% of all hate crimes last year while 4% were based on the victim’s gender identity. At the same time, local jurisdictions reported a decrease in all manners of crime, including murder, violent crime and motor vehicle thefts.
Responding to the news in a press release, the Human Rights Campaign called the finding “especially concerning” in light of efforts by the Trump-Vance administration, GOP allies in Congress, and Republican state lawmakers to “level legislative, administrative, and personal attacks against against LGBTQ+ people.”
“The FBI’s 2024 hate crime data has revealed a national emergency hiding in plain sight,” HRC President Kelley Robinson said. “Everyone deserves to be safe in this country and have the chance to thrive. But anti-equality politicians continue to spread lies about LGBTQ+ people, trying to push us out of more and more corners of society.”
“Those smears come with a cost,” she said. “The FBI has exposed a chilling reality: our community remains a target of violence — and that is unacceptable. LGBTQ+ people, just like everyone else, should be free to live our lives, pursue our careers and education, build our homes and pursue our American Dreams, without the threat of violence hanging over our heads.”
Robinson added, “This FBI data is clear: we need more support from our political leaders, not animosity and attacks that seek to demonize us.”
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