By Patrick Hanley
According to new data released by the FBI this week, hate crimes motivated by a victim’s sexual orientation and gender identity rose by 8.6% from 2022 to 2023. Alarmingly, the spike comes while violent crime was down overall, signaling that LGBTQIA+ people, among others, are increasingly being targeted based on their identity.
Out of the 11,447 single-bias incidents reported last year, those based on sexual orientation accounted for 18.1%; those based on gender identity accounted for 4.3% of the overall total. This makes sexual orientation and gender identity the third and fourth-most common bias motivations for hate crimes. There were nearly 3,000 reported incidents based on sexual orientation and gender identity in 2023 alone.
Laws in many states, including Texas, fail to protect the LGBTQIA+ community. In Texas, the woefully outdated hate crimes statues only protect people on the basis of “sexual preference” (an outdated term that suggest a choice in sexual orientation) and do not include protections based on gender identity or expression. Bills to correct this language have failed in successive legislative sessions.
Laws aside, it is clear that hearts and minds need to change. While a supermajority of Americans support equal rights for LGBTQIA+ people, overall support slipped last year from 84% to 80%, according to a GLAAD report. A similar decline was found in the American Values Atlas Survey, the first time a drop was reported since the survey began.
While the FBI data does not point to a conclusive reason for the spike in LGBTQIA+ hate crimes, or the slipping acceptance figures, many point to the hateful political rhetoric that has permeated in state legislatures throughout the country. In 2023, more than 140 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills were introduced in Texas. LGBTQIA+ people, particularly transgender Texans, had their very identities called into question. Dangerous bills that rolled back life-saving, best practice medical care and restrictions on access at school passed into law. These bills are based in misinformation and bigotry. Some organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign, have declared a nationwide state of emergency for LGBTQIA+ people due to the extremist rhetoric.
We at Resource Center continue to work to change both laws and policies and hearts and minds. A new legislative session is around the corner in 2025. Do you want to learn more about our advocacy work? Sign up to receive advocacy alerts here.
