A new report by the Human Relations
Commission of Los Angeles County reports that hate crimes based on
sexual orientation increased in the county by nine percent in 2007.
The report, titled 2007 Hate Crime
Report, tallied last year's
figure as the highest in the last five years – a 28% increase in
reported hate crime compared to the prior year.
Robin
S. Toma, the commission's executive director, found the new study
“troubling.” “...this rise in hate crimes runs contrary to a
drop in general crime in Los Angeles County in 2007 compared to
2006,” Toma said in a prepared statement.
Hate
crimes based on sexual orientation were second only to racially
motivated crimes.
There
were 111 reported hate crimes against gays and lesbians last year, up
nine percent from 2006. Of those, 92% targeted gay men and 8%
lesbians.
A
particularly gruesome hate crime included in the report occurred in
June of 2007 in south Los Angeles: “Two black males and two black
females attacked two Latina lesbians waiting at a bus stop. The
suspects drove up in a van and told the victims 'Fuck you bitches!
Bunch of gay bitches! What's up? I'm going to get out and hit you
lesbian bitches. Let me see you smile one more time before I hit you
in the mouth!' The suspects then exited their vehicle and beat up
the victims.”
Hate
crimes motivated by sexual orientation also have the dubious honor of
being the most violent (76%) – higher than racial or religious
crimes.