Hate Crimes Highest In Ten Years, Senate Pushes Vote Back Again

The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs has issued a report noting that anti-gay hate crimes in 2008 were the highest in ten years.

Violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people increased 2% from 2007 to 2008, continuing the trend of a 24% total increase in 2007, according to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP)'s 2008 Hate Violence Report. Bias-related murders were at their highest rate since 1999 with 29 known anti-LGBT murders committed in 2008. Reports of violence in Milwaukee increased 64% and Minnesota and Chicago saw increases of 48% and 42%, respectively.

"We are deeply troubled about the 2008 statistics for a number of reasons including the fact that increases in victimization in the Upper Midwest far exceed the national increase of 2%. With Minnesota's 48% increase in 2008 and continued multi-year trend of such increases, we are concern for the safety of all GLBT Minnesotans even as we continue to work for equality," said Rebecca Waggoner Kloek, Anti-Violence Program Director of NCAVP member organization OutFront Minnesota.

Despite Monday's report that the U.S. Senate would attach the hate crimes act to a tourism bill and vote on it today, yesterday Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said only that his chamber would vote on the act before the current session ends at the end of August.