MEDIA
RELEASE
July 13,
2010
Media
contact: Roberta Sklar 917.704.6358
*Regional Media Contacts
Listed Below
Report of
hate violence against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, transgender and Queer
(LGBTQ)
commuinities released today
·
Murders
at second-highest rate in a decade;
·
Spike
in anti-LGBTQ violence at time of federal hate crimes law passage;
·
Economic
crisis depletes resources for LGBTQ survivors of violence
NATIONAL—
The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) today released
its
report on Hate Violence against the LGBTQ Communities in the United
States in
2009. Anti-LGBTQ hate violence continues to be a pervasive social
problem
at the same time as vital resources and support for hate violence
survivors are
at risk amidst economic crisis. This year, 22 victims of hate murder
were reported by NCAVP, the second-highest rate in a decade,
reflecting a
pattern of severe and persistent violence against LGBTQ communities.
Notably, NCAVP saw the highest spike in reported incidents of
violence in
October 2009, coinciding with the passage of the Matthew Shepard and
James
Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. This statistic seems to
reflect
a correlation between increased visibility and increased vulnerability
and
targeting. Despite these disturbing trends, financial support and much
needed services for hate violence survivors have only declined due to
ongoing
economic conditions.
Of
the 22 reported hate murder victims in 2009, 79% were people of
color, and
most were transgender women or were feminine-presenting. As
evidenced
in this report, members of traditionally marginalized communities
continue to
be disproportionately targeted for severe violence. “These facts
are deeply disturbing as these are the same people who are more likely
to face
discrimination, criminalization or further violence when interacting
with
criminal legal and social service systems. What we see is that they are
less likely to seek and access support from these institutions,”
said
Maria Carolina Morales, Intervention Director of Community United
Against
Violence (CUAV) in San Francisco.
“During
the past year, NCAVP member organizations lost crucial staff and
programming in
the wake of the fiscal crisis. In a survey of members participating in
this report, 50% of respondents laid off staff (at an average decrease
of 56%
of all positions), 70% reported budget decreases, and others could not
expand
positions, staff hours or programming, despite a demonstrated need for
such
growth. We
believe that this drastically limited the ability of LGBTQ people to
report
violence and access vital support and services in 2009,” said
Lisa Gilmore, Director of Education and Victim Advocacy at Center on
Halsted in
Chicago. “While the total number of reported incidents of hate
violence declined slightly in 2009, we suspect that this represents a
decrease
in reporting, not in actual violence.”
“For
many people, acts of hate violence come to be an expected part of being
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer,” said Kelly Clark,
Community Safety Director at the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley in
Rochester,
NY. “Hate violence exists in many forms, ranging from hate speech to
sexual assault and murder. All can be traumatic and have life-long
impact.”
Many
of the incidents reported to NCAVP, such as intimidation, harassment and
other
forms of discrimination (62%), may not fall in the category of criminal
acts. Ann Atkins, Program Director of SafeSpace at the R U 1 2?
Community
Center in Winooski, VT, states, “Hate violence can be challenged by
everyone, on all levels, by working with and reporting even what seem to
be the
slightest acts to local anti-violence programs. This sort of reporting
supports efforts to prevent the escalation of incidents as well as
document the
scope of anti-LGBTQ hate in our communities.”
NCAVP’s
report strongly recommends that the federal and state governments and
criminal
legal systems support anti-violence programs by ceasing cutbacks,
releasing
allocated funding and increasing funding for prevention, education, and
data
collection. Most critically, NCAVP calls upon these institutions to end
discriminatory practices that further promote anti-LGBTQ hate violence.
“Ending
anti-LGBTQ hate violence will require nothing less than a profound
cultural
shift supported at all levels of society,” said Crystal Middlestadt,
Director of Education & Advocacy at the Colorado Anti-Violence
Program. “Educators, lawmakers, service providers and the
general public must support the work of anti-violence programs and LGBTQ
people
to transform a culture of hate into one that is inclusive, healthy and
safe for
all.”
This
report is a product of the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs
(NCAVP), a coalition of 40 anti-violence organizations that monitor,
respond
to, and work to end hate, domestic and sexual violence, HIV-related
violence,
and other forms of violence affecting LGBTQ communities. As
demonstrated
in the above map, fifteen NCAVP member organizations from the Pacific
Coast,
the Southwest, the Midwest and the Northeast collected data for this
report. No programs reported from the Southeast or the South, due to a
highly limited number of programs and resources. NCAVP member
organizations are found in 22 states throughout the country and many are
the
single resource in their entire state.
While
this report covers hate violence in 2009, NCAVP would like to
acknowledge an
important report
published today by New York City Stands in Solidarity with the Puerto
Rican
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community on more recent
incidents. This network of non-profit organizations and elected
officials
in New York City and State organized in the spring of 2010 to monitor
and
respond to recent heinous and ongoing acts of hate violence affecting
the
Puerto Rican LGBT communities.
To
download a complete version of the report, visit: http://www.avp.org/ncavp.htm.
Recent Comments