Bad News: Homophobic Attacks Appear to Have Risen in '08

I was pretty upset to read that the most recent data makes it look like homophobic attacks were on the rise last year!

According to the Sharon Stapel, executive director of the New York City Anti-Violence Project,

"Election years are always violent years for us because of wedge issues [like ballot measures banning gay marriage]. With increased visibility comes increased vulnerability to LGBT stereotypes and violence. We've seen some of the most violent hate crimes that we've seen in a while."

Of course, as Staple also pointed out, some of the rise could also be due to the fact that there has been an increase in the number of people who report crimes.

Reporting is a really important way to help raise awareness about this issue. But victims also have a lot of reasons for not doing so.

• Some fear retaliation.
• Some fear that reporting a homophobic attack will out them.
• Some are too traumatized.
• Some worry about homophobic reactions from police.

These are legitimate concerns, but there is more and more help for victims of anti-gay hate crimes.

To find out more about options for victims of anti-gay bias crimes, check out the Anti-Violence Project's website. They also have some important safety tips that are worth checking out.