Hate Crimes on Today's Agenda

Let's take a brief trip down memory lane. Remember this?



Well, I'm doing it again today. This session, it's SB 139. And it's still badly needed.

In fact, it's likely needed now more than ever before. Hate crimes against LGBTQ people are at the highest level recorded in the last 14 years. This was confirmed in the most recent FBI hate crimes report.

Yet even that doesn't tell the whole story. The agency is just starting to collect data on anti-transgender hate crimes (so they're not included in last December's report). And far too many victims are still too afraid to come forward.

Don't believe me? Believe this.

“Despite issues of underreporting from law enforcement agencies, some additional data suggest that hate crimes against transgender people are a significant problem. Community organizations and other interested groups have been tracking hate crimes against transgender people for several years. In particular, the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) includes transgender people in their collection of hate crime data against sexual minorities. When examining reports on 14 major cities, 5 states, and one multi-state region since 1997, the NCAVP reports an average of 213 hate crimes per year against transgender people. In 2004, the NCAVP reported the highest number of hate crimes against transgender people: 321 hate crimes. Nationally, this level of violence is comparable to the level of violence perpetrated against Muslims since 2002. Thus, the inclusion of gender identity in the categories reported in the Uniform Crime Reports and in the new National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) system would allow for more tracking of this serious problem.”

So it's heartening to see this return to the Legislature's agenda after the close miss of SB 180 in 2011. So far, SB 139 has 16 Senate sponsors and 21 Assembly sponsors. And even better, both lists are bipartisan. That's encouraging going forward.

Still, we can't forget how SB 180 unraveled in 2011. Transgender Nevadans can't afford for that to happen again. So I'm heading to Grant Sawyer today. I'll provide updates going forward on this and other LGBTQ equality legislation.

Oops, I Did It Again!

Yes, I did it. Again. I testified to The Legislature, in this case The Senate Judiciary Committee, in support of SB 180.

So what exactly is SB 180? Click the above link, then come back to this page to read my testimony below, then please contact your legislators and ask them to support SB 180. Thanks.

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When a violent crime is committed, it may seem like a no-brainer to call the police. But when the victim is transgender, the situation all too often becomes much more complicated. The victim might be treated as the criminal, or the victim's case is not taken seriously, or perhaps the victim is too afraid to even report the crime.

This is why SB 180 is needed, and this is why SB 180 should not considered some sort of "special treatment". Rather, it levels the playing field and ensures that everyone in our state is treated equally. Many local law enforcement have had past problems handling crimes against transgender victims, and perpetrators have used excuses like "gay panic defense" to seek leniency from the courts, so there is critical need for state guidance to ensure transgender people are no longer easy targets for violent crime.

Human Rights Campaign has recently analyzed FBI crime statistics and estimated that one of every 1,000 homicide victims in this country is transgender. At least 15 transgender people are killed in hate crimes each year in this country. Just in 2002 alone, 27 known transgender people were killed in hate motivated murders. Remember that these are not just statistics, but real people as well.

I know people who have survived attacks, and I have close friends who have lost friends to violence. This is certainly no laughing matter. The passage of SB 180 may very well mean the difference between life and death, so I urge you to pass SB 180 and help save many Nevadans' lives.