Gay Hate Crimes

A gay hate crime is a criminal action that is intended to intimidate or harm others solely because of their sexual orientation. Gay hate crime laws are designed and put in place to punish the action, not the thought or speech. In 1993 the United States Supreme Court unanimously ruled that hate crime laws and the enhanced sentencing, based upon intent is constitutional.

One of the most talked about gay hate crimes is in regards to the death of Matthew Shepard who died from multiple head injuries in Fort Collins, Colorado in October of 1998. His murder brought national and international attention to the issues of hate crime legislation at both the state and federal level.

Hate crimes, whether it be based on race, sexual orientation, or religion sends a message of terror to an entire group or minority and are therefore not considered random acts of violence.

Gay hate crime is spreading. Nearly four in ten men and one in eight lesbians in the United States has been the target of property damage or violence because of their sexual orientation those numbers are from a study done by the University of California psychology professor Gregory Herek.

What this study showed is that the crimes against sexual minority adults, especially gay men, have become disturbingly widespread. It is gay men who are much more likely than gay women to be the target of a gay hate crime, or violent crime.

One of the largest surveys of homophobic crimes published a report titled, “Queerbashing”, revealed a startling picture of homophobic insults and violence containing both disturbing and graphic accounts from those who have been victimized. Many of the victims had been the targets of weapon-wielding hate gangs. The report that was published in 2006 suggested that there have been approximately 181 gay murders committed over the past ten years.

The study also showed that a third of the participants, 4200, had also suffered from some form of harassment. Some were driven from their homes by homophobic neighbors, while others received hate mail. One out of ten had been threatened or blackmailed.

Even though the study acknowledged the shift towards greater tolerance and support for both gay and lesbians, it blamed the “deeply institutionalized homophobia.”