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FBI Shows Gay-Bashing Increase in 2006

Hate crimes against gays made up 16% of total documented hate crimes across the United States in 2006, up from 14% in 2005, the FBI reported Monday.


Hate crimes against gays made up 16% of total documented hate crimes across the United States in 2006, up from 14% in 2005, the FBI reported Monday.

The rate of all bias-motivated crimes increased 8% in 2006. Hate crimes based on sexual orientation are the third most common type, behind race and religion, according to the annual report.

In May the House of Representatives passed the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act -- known as the Matthew Shepard Act -- in a bipartisan vote, and the Senate approved it as well. If enacted, the proposed law would give the federal government expanded jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute violent crimes based on a person’s race, color, religion, or national origin as well as their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender, and disability. It also provides assistance to local law enforcement to investigate and prosecute bias-motivated violence, according to an Human Rights Campaign press release. Existing federal hate-crimes law covers only those based on a victim’s race, color, religion, and national origin.

“This FBI report confirms what the Human Rights Campaign has known for over a decade -- that hate-crimes protections for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community are long overdue,” HRC president Joe Solmonese said in a statement. “We urge Congress to send this legislation immediately to the president’s desk, and for the president to sign it into law.” (The Advocate)

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Reader Comments
  • Name: kathleen
    Date posted: 11/16/2008 5:13:00 PM
    Hometown: oakland

    Comment:

    my multi racial family and i are moving up to greenville in a number of years....i am hoping to avoid the white trash methaddicts. we are buying a home near kinder avenue i looking in quicy but too expensive...greenville appears to be a bit more laid back......are there many teenagers of color at FRC? where are all the happy hippies? the democrates? please let me know what areas of greenville are thick with whit trash and which areas are nicer...

  • Name: Brooke
    Date posted: 10/19/2008 1:41:00 PM
    Hometown: Greenville

    Comment:

    Move to Quincy if you can. I grew up in Plumas County in Greenville. Quincy is a lot more comfortable of a place to live if you are gay. Get out of Portola! My girlfriend and I plan on moving up to Plumas County soon. I think it is very important that gay people up there get to know each other and form a community so that everyone can feel safer. Good luck and hang in there. Plumas County is a beautiful magical place and it's for all people to enjoy!

  • Name: T. Williams
    Date posted: 8/13/2008 6:50:00 PM
    Hometown: Portola, California

    Comment:

    We live in a community, that we are experincing Gay Abuse. We as a couple moved to this community, 5 years ago. Opened a business of extrodinary, quality and Service. I would have never believed such BIGOTRY survived in CALIFORNIA! It's estimated, that 85% of the males in this county carry guns. When the economy TANKED! The Trash, reveals it's ungly head. Thats been the case since the fall of the Roman Empi No economy, and a back-yard of Meth labs. And red-necks. Its a little harder, to just pick-up and run! And there is NO HELP available! What do we do? We hug our dogs! We hug one another, cry alot! and pray tommorrow will be better. Where is this hell hole? PORTOLA ,California~ Plumas County! When will all this BIGOTRY END? We mean no harm.

  • Name: T. Williams
    Date posted: 8/13/2008 6:49:00 PM
    Hometown: Portola, California

    Comment:

    We live in a community, that we are experincing Gay Abuse. We as a couple moved to this community, 5 years ago. Opened a business of extrodinary, quality and Service. I would have never believed such BIGOTRY survived in CALIFORNIA! It's estimated, that 85% of the males in this county carry guns. When the economy TANKED! The Trash, reveals it's ungly head. Thats been the case since the fall of the Roman Empire. Don't say! Just leave! When you've invested a lifetime of savings. No economy, and a back-yard of Meth labs. And red-necks. Its a little harder, to just pick-up and run! And there is NO HELP available! What do we do? We hug our dogs! We hug one another, cry alot! and pray tommorrow will be better. Where is this hell hole? PORTOLA ,California~ Plumas County! When will all this BIGOTRY END? We mean no harm.



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