Date:         Thu, 14 Apr 1994 12:44:19 EDT
From: ljyngltf@aol.com


National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute

ANTI-GAY / LESBIAN / BISEXUAL  VIOLENCE  FACT  SHEET

April 1994 update

GENERAL  OVERVIEW   OF  ANTI-GAY / LESBIAN / BISEXUAL  VIOLENCE:

Although anti-gay violence is a long-standing problem, in recent years it has
become increasingly widespread.  As lesbians, gay men and bisexuals have
become more visible and organized, they have made major strides towards
equality and freedom.  Such increased visibility, however, also has triggered
a violent backlash.

 Reported episodes of anti-gay harassment and violence in six U.S. cities
dipped 14% from 2102 incidents in 1992 to 1813 in 1993. This first decrease
comes after five years of a dramatic rise in anti-gay violence. Anti-gay
violence rose 127 percent during the past six years, even with the 1993 dip.
( "Anti-Gay/Lesbian Violence, Victimization and Harassment  in 1993,"
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute,  1994)
 "The most frequent victims of hate violence today are blacks, Hispanics,
Southeast Asians, Jews, and gays and lesbians. Homosexuals are probably the
most frequent victims" (emphasis added, "The Response of the Criminal Justice
System to Bias Crime: An Exploratory Review," National Institute of Justice,  U.S. Department of Justice, 1987 ).
 Among more than 2,000 lesbians, gay men and bisexuals surveyed nationwide,
19 percent reported having been "punched, hit, kicked, or beaten" at least
once in their lives because of their sexual orientation.  Forty-four percent
had been threatened with physical violence and 94 percent experienced some
type of victimization.  Studies showing similar rates of victimization have
been conducted in the cities of Boston, Chicago, the District of Columbia,
Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Richmond, and in the states of Alaska, Maine, New
Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Wisconsin. ("Anti-Gay/Lesbian
Victimization," NGLTF Policy Institute, 1984).
 In a national poll of lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals, 7 percent reported
having been physically assaulted for being gay or bisexual at least once
during the past year.  Conducted via telephone using standard survey
procedures, this study may well offer the most representative sampling of
lesbiatns and gay men ever conducted in the U.S. (San Francisco Examiner, 1989)
 Gay men, lesbians and bisexuals surveyed in 1988 were victimized at least
four times more often than the average rate for the U.S. adult population.
(Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force, 1992)

AIDS - RELATED VIOLENCE:


 Since the early 1980s, gay organizations and prevalence studies of anti-gay
violence have documented numerous cases of AIDS-related attacks against gay
men, lesbians and bisexuals.  "Increasingly, violence against those perceived
to carry HIV, so-called 'hate crimes,' are a serious problem...and areindicative of a society that is not reacting rationally to the epidemic." (Presidential Commission on the
 Human Immunodeficiency Epidemic,  1988)
 In annual surveys of anti-gay/lesbian violence, between 8 and 17 percent of
the incidents documented were AIDS-related. ("Anti-Gay/Lesbian Violence,
Victi mization and Harassment,"  NGLTF Policy Institute, annual reports,
1986-1994.)
 A national survey of people with HIV and AIDS showed that 21% have been the
target of violence outside of their homes because of their HIV status and
that 12% have suffered violence at home. ("HIV in America: A Profile of the
Challenges Facing Americans Living with HIV," National Association of People
with AIDS, 1992)

VICTIMIZATION   ON  CAMPUS:

 Although the campus environment is ideally one in which diversity and
pluralism are cherished values, anti-gay harassment is a serious problem at
many academic institutions.  For example, in studies of lesbian, gay and
bisexual victimization at Oberlin (1990), Rutgers (1987), Penn State (1989)
and Yale (1986), between three and five percent of respondents had been the
target of anti-gay physical assaults at some point in their college careers;
16 to 26 percent had been threatened with violence and 40 to 76 percent had
been verbally harassed. ("Anti-Gay/Lesbian Violence, Victimizat
ion and Harassment in 1990," NGLTF Policy Institute, 1991)

VICTIMIZATION   IN   THE  HOME:


 The home is another context in which anti-gay harassment and violence occur.
 According to studies that measure rates of anti-gay abuse by relatives,
between 16 and 41 percent of the respondents had experienced verbal insults
or intimidation by relatives, and four  to  eight percent had encountered
physical violence as well. ("Hate Crimes: Confronting Violence Against
Lesbians and Gay Men," K. Berrill and G. Herek, editors. Sage Publications, 1992.)

HATE  CRIMES  LAWS:

 In 1990, the federal government enacted the Hate Crime Statistics Act
(HCSA), which requires the FBI to gather statistics on crimes motivated by
bias against the victim, including those based on sexual orientation. The FBI
has released national statistics collected in 1991 and 1992 under the HCSA.
In 1991, the FBI reported that 422 or 8.9% of the 4,755 reported hate crimes
in 1991 were committed against lesbians, gay men and bisexuals. Nine hundred
and thirty one or 11% of the 8,075 incidents the FBI reported for  1992 were
committed.