Hate Crimes Against Gays, Lesbians Up 7%

While hate crimes in Los Angeles County decreased 22% overall in 2002 from the year before, those against gays and lesbians increased 7%, according to a report released Wednesday by the county’s Commission on Human Relations.

A total of 238 crimes based on sexual orientation were reported, up from 223 in 2001, according to Marshall Wong, the principal author of the county report.

There were 804 hate crimes in 2002. The year before they hit a record 1,031, which Wong attributed to the post-Sept. 11 backlash against people perceived to be of Middle Eastern origin.

Of the crimes in 2002 directed against homosexuals, 84% targeted men, the report said. It also found that 59% of the crimes against gays and lesbians were violent, as were 88% of the crimes against transgender people.

“It is alarming that while in general the number of hate crimes in Los Angeles County was down for 2002, crimes against gay and lesbian people increased,” said Lorri L. Jean, chief executive officer of the Gay & Lesbian Center based in Hollywood.

“This proves that we still have much work to do in our quest to build a society that values all people. At its root, hate crimes are an extreme manifestation of societal prejudice against a given group of people.”

Roger Coggan, director of Legal Services and Public Policy for the Gay & Lesbian Center, said the increase may reflect an increasing unwillingness in the gay community to suffer hate crimes silently.

“Our community has become more empowered and increasingly reports hate crimes,” Coggan said. “We increasingly recognize our obligation to ourselves and to the community to report these crimes.”

The highest concentrations of hate crimes against gays and lesbians occurred in West Hollywood, Hollywood, Long Beach and, to a lesser extent, Silver Lake, Wong said.