Since 1969, violence against members of the LGBT community has become more and more common. On June 28, 1969, the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, was raided by police. Thus, a series of demonstrations by members of the LGBT community ensued; the three-day long Stonewall Riots spurred  the Gay Rights Movement to become a widely-known social movement.

This movement demands equality and acceptance for members of the LGBT community. Some Americans, nevertheless, have chosen to engage in violence against individuals who self-identify as LGBT. In recent years, unfortunately, the number of LGBT hate crimes has increased.

In 2008, the FBI annual report stated that 17.6% of hate crimes were based on the victim’s perceived sexual orientation.

In 2011, the FBI reported that 20.4% of hate crimes were based on a sexual orientation bias. 56.7% were against gay men.

In 2014, the FBI  outlined that 18.6% of hate crimes were founded on perceived sexual orientation. A graphic illustrates these findings below.

Between 1996 and 2009, Gallup polled Americans about their views on same-sex marriage. Although the support for same-sex marriage has significantly increased from 1996, support began to decrease after 2007. The data is show below.

Evidently, some Americans not only refuse to accept LGBT individuals but also choose to inflict hateful violence on them. Even though only 3.8% of American society self-identifies as gay, according to a 2015 Gallup research survey, these individuals deserve to feel safe within a country that preaches liberty, fraternity, and equality as its core principles. A massacre like the one at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub should never again happen.

 

Tags:  hate crimes lgbt lgbt hate crimes Pulse nightclub violence against lgbt individuals