Vol. VIII Issue 167 Saturday, November 22, 2008

Top Story FBI Report Sees Dramatic Rise in Hate Crimes following 9/11 20.6% Rise Against Minorities, 7.2% Sex Orientation Increase Suggests a Backlash against Minorities after Terrorist Attacks Compiled By GayToday Human Rights Campaign FBI Headquarters Washington, D.C.-- The FBI released its annual publication, Crime in the United States 2001 last week. While the overall number of crimes reported to the FBI in 2001 increased slightly, 2.1 percent, reported hate crimes increased dramatically from 8,063 in 2000, to 9,726 in 2001, a 20.6 percent increase. The report suggests a backlash against minorities following the September 11 terrorist attacks, says HRC. "Hate crimes represent the most un-American of values and they are antithetical to everything this nation stands for," said HRC Political Director Winnie Stachelberg. "While most Americans rallied together after September 11, the tragedy unfortunately also brought out the worst in some people. The steep rise in hate crimes is unacceptable and we must work to create a more tolerant nation that celebrates diversity and appreciates differences in people." In 2001, 1,663 more hate crime incidents were reported than in 2000. Hate crimes based on sexual orientation were the fourth highest category, behind hate incidents based on race, ethnic/national origin, and religion. Racial bias again represented the largest percentage of bias-motivated incidents, 44.9 percent, followed by ethnic/national origin bias, 21.6 percent, religious bias, 18.8 percent, sexual orientation bias, 14.3 percent, and disability bias, 0.3 percent. The report shows a rise in hate crimes based on sexual orientation. Reported hate incidents based on sexual orientation have increased from 1,299 incidents in 2000 to 1,392 in 2001, a 7.2 percent increase. And reported hate crimes have more than tripled since the FBI began keeping statistics in 1996. The number of law enforcement agencies participating in reporting hate crimes to the FBI in 2001 increased slightly from 11,690 to 11,897. "The numbers are even more troubling when you consider that it is widely known that hate crimes based on sexual orientation are under-reported," said Stachelberg. "While we are making enormous progress on many fronts, violence still remains a constant threat that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans face. The rise in hate crimes highlights why we need to pass federal legislation to combat this disturbing trend." HRC Political Director Winnie Stachelberg

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