Anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes reached record-highs last year in this gay haven

In a city that's considered one of the friendliest places for LGBTQ+ people to visit and reside, hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity reached a "record-high" in 2024.

There were 1,355 reported hate crimes in Los Angeles last year, according to the 2024 Report on Hate Crimes, with the county experiencing "record-high crimes targeting African Americans, Jewish people, Latino/as, LGBTQ+ individuals, Middle Easterners, Muslims, Scientologists, and women."

“Each of these numbers represents a person whose dignity was violated and whose community feels that harm," LACCHR Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath said in a statement. "This year’s report makes clear that hate isn’t slowing — it’s evolving and appearing in the daily lives of far too many Angelenos. As a County, we will not accept this as our new normal."

The data for transgender people is particularly alarming — there were 102 anti-trans hate crimes in the city last year, a staggering 95 percent of which were violent. This is the largest number reported since the LA County Commission on Human Relations began tracking hate crimes in 1980. The county has only tracked crimes against nonbinary people since 2023, but still saw a sharp increase of 275 percent, from four incidents to 15.

The report mirrors a national trend of increasing violence against trans people. Nearly 6 in 10 trans adults (59 percent) in California have recently experienced violence or harassment, a separate November report from the Williams Institute found, with almost one in ten (7 percent) reporting experiencing one or more physical attacks in the past year.

“We are strengthening our partnerships with schools, community organizations, and survivors to confront hate early, directly, and with compassion," Horvath continued. "No matter who you are or how you show up in the world, you deserve to be safe and supported in Los Angeles County. We will not rest until that is true for everyone.”