Anti-Gay Hate Crimes On The Rise
Many acts of terrorism are committed every day in places all around America. The targets of this kind of terrorism are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens. Anti-gay hate crimes, or anti-gay biased crimes, are a form of terrorism directed at gays that are intended to physically or psychologically harm a victim or intimidate them solely on the basis of their sexuality and are considered terrorism because it is an attack on the whole group, not just the individual, in that others of the gay community may fear that they too will be a victim of a biased crime.
This minority is victimized simply because of their sexual preference and a hatred of homosexuals that many prejudiced people harbor. Many overlook this minority when they think of hate crimes that are typically committed, such as those that have to do with religious or racial prejudice, but anti-gay hate crimes are on the rise and something definitely has to be done about these violent attacks against homosexuals in our society.
Hate crimes against gays have a strong, lasting effect on the psychological state of the victim. Many develop depression, stress and anxiety disorders, as well as anger issues and feelings of vulnerability due to the fact that they identify themselves as homosexual. Even those who are not directly victimized may harbor fears about admitting to others that they are gay and be ashamed of what they are because of the attacks on other gays.
According to Dr. Gregory Herek, Professor of Psychology and Principal Investigator of the 4-year study that was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, “Lesbian and gay survivors of hate crimes… showed more signs of psychological distress… than did lesbian and gay survivors of comparable non-bias-motivated crimes in the same time period.” Many anti-gay hate crimes even led to the suicide of the victim due to the lasting depression and stress disorders the crime causes and the effects of these disorders.
Studies show that gay teens are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers. This is completely due to the hostility being directed at this minority and the feelings of rejection and inadequacy that accompany being homosexual in a society where many view homosexuality as wrong. According to a Youth Risk Survey conducted in Massachusetts, “Research indicates 31% of gay youth were threatened or injured at school. These experiences have a devastating impact on the educational success and mental health of youth. Anti-gay prejudice affects straight youth, too. For every gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth being harassed, 4 straight students were harassed because they were perceived as being gay or lesbian.”
Harassment of others based on their actual or perceived homosexuality is immoral and needs to be eradicated in order to ensure the safety of our youth and the basic human rights of the general population.
Hate crimes and harassment directed at homosexuals are increasing in number. In recent surveys, “As many as 92% of lesbians and gay men report that they have been the targets of anti-gay verbal abuse or threats, and as many as 24% report physical attacks because of their sexual orientation.” Also, the number of anti-gay hate crimes in 2009 showed a nationwide increase of 7%. Since then, the numbers have only gone up, with a 10% increase shown in a more recent study.
This may, in part, be due to the Anti-Gay Industry, which is comprised of a number of religious groups and politicians in America that believe that homosexuality is a sin against God. They encourage anti-gay hate crimes and incite violence towards homosexuals for their own profit and in support of their own beliefs.
But in America, equality and freedom are the main goals and laws should be made to stop such heinous crimes against the gay community of this country. Politicians should not be using the fear that homophobes harbor for gays for the benefit of their own careers. In America, one belief system is not the standard for all or even most of our society. Freedom of religion is a constitutional right, and so, Christian, Catholic and Evangelist religions should not be trying to force their belief that homosexuality is wrong on the other members of the melting pot that is The United States of America.
Heterosexuals and religious advocates are free to be just that, but they should not be allowed to force their beliefs on anyone who believes differently. Anti-gay hate crimes, as well as any other hate crimes, should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of our constitutional laws and should be seen as the terrorism that they truly are.
Hate crimes against gays and lesbians, although they may seem like an impossible thing to combat, are something that could be completely eliminated from our society if those who support gays take a stand against anti-gay hate crimes.
There are many groups devoted to supporting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population, such as the Gay Straight Alliance, which enables straight allies of gays and lesbians to show their support of the homosexual community. Recently, legislative acts such as H.R. 1592, which includes LGBT in hate crime protection, have also been passed to help rid our society of the disease of discrimination.
But many hate crimes are overlooked, especially in schools. So, though teens may not be able to vote on laws to be passed, they can focus on fighting hate crimes in their own school by making sure that they don’t verbally or physically harm another student because of their sexuality. Teens can also work to educate their peers about hate crimes against gays, since many teens do not understand that they are committing a hate crime when they put one of their peers down for allegedly being gay.
Prejudice is something that we should all work to remove from our society, and if we stand together, it is possible.
