Hate Crimes Are Up, Especially Against LGBTQ People. Advocates Blame Far-Right Politicians.

LGBTQ advocates are expressing concern after FBI data released this week revealed that despite a decrease in violent crime across the U.S., hate crimes — particularly against their community — increased in 2023.

Despite regular conservative rhetoric that violent crime is on the rise, theFBI findings, which are based on local law enforcement submissions, showed a 3% overall decrease from 2022 to 2023. That’s a return to what had been years of falling crime rates since the 1990s, with the exception of an increase amid the social upheaval starting with the 2020 pandemic. But the new data also showed hate crimes have increased in the past two years, with the largest increase against LGBTQ people.

Analysisby ABC News revealed there were at least 2,389 recorded incidents where bias against a victim’s sexual orientation, excluding heterosexuality, was a motivator. In 2022, that number was about 2,188 and about 1,300 in 2021.

ABC News also reported that gender identity-based incidents have increased from 307 recorded offenses in 2021 to 515 in 2022 and 547 in 2023.

Multiple LGBTQ advocates said the FBI data tracks with what they’ve been seeing in recent years.

In an email to HuffPost, Sasha Buchert, director of the Non-Binary and Transgender Rights Project, attributed the escalation of hate and violence to how far-right politicians talk about LBGTQ people.

“Such attacks are heartbreaking and despicable, and are badly out of step with American support of LGBTQ people, who are part of our families, our communities, and our country,” Buchert said.

Kelley Robinson, Human Rights Campaign president, said in apress release that public acceptance of LGBTQ people has continued to grow, in spite of the hate the community faces.

“Mak