22% Of All Hate Crimes In Florida Are LGBTQ Related

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Not the best news to wake up to on a Monday morning, but what else is new? Seems hate crimes against the queer community are once again on the rise. And in the state of Florida, {oh Florida why is it always Florida}, LGBTQ hate crimes are up a whopping TWENTY-TWO percent. 22% is a HUGE number. Is this seriously going to be something we are dealing with forever? I have been marching and protesting for gay rights for twenty years – when is it ever going to end?

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According to the South Florida Caribbean News,

“Second only to race, LGBT crimes are the most common category of hate crime in Florida. Sexual orientation-related hate crimes have surpassed religion, putting the LGBT community particularly at risk in Florida. In response, Floridian laws have increased the penalties for hate crimes towards the LGBT community. Transgenders have been increasingly included in such hate crime laws too, thus getting similar protection to the gay community, along with hate towards certain gender identities.”

The statistics get even worse as the Miami Herald reported that “Florida continues to lag behind many other states in hate crime reporting.” Think of how many more hate crimes have happened to our queer brothers and sisters that have NOT been reported. The South Florida Caribbean News also noted that,

“Much of the LGBT community feel unsafe in Florida regardless, but the crime statistics fail to appropriately represent why. Whilst reporting is likely improving due to the pressure from the community, there is still an issue of under- and misreporting. Of course, attacks against LGBT failing to be reported as hate crimes makes the issue harder to tackle, as the statistics aren’t helping make the case for the LGBT community.”

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At least Florida law is catching up with hate crimes as “Floridian laws have increased the penalties for hate crimes towards the LGBT community. Transgenders have been increasingly included in such hate crime laws too, thus getting similar protection to the gay community, along with hate towards certain gender identities.” {South Florida Caribbean News}

Where do we go from here? I don’t know the answer but I do know enough is enough. 

 

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Sources: Miami Herald, South Florida Caribbean News

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