Report on Hate Violence Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender,

Ohio remains one of top reporting states National Report
shows highest murder rate ever recorded

To download the full Report please visit NCAVP. Reposted at http:www.keystothecloset.blogspot.com

Ohio — 2011 marks the twenty-second year that BRAVO and NCAVP have documented hate violence statistics in Ohio. There was a 37% decrease in the total number of reports taken in 2011 from 260 reports to 111. This is in part due to changes in the way anti-violence work is funded, allowing more individual assistance and support to clients, and also assisting them with criminal justice and recovery services. Because of the redistribution of funds, BRAVO has less money available for outreach, marketing, and travel — resulting in a net drop in reports though the level of service delivery to those who did report increased.

Despite the drop in reports of violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the region, the demographic breakdowns for victims remain consistent. The victims of these incidents remain largely young (43%) under the age of 29 (48 survivors and victims), majority white (over 60%, 68 survivors and victims), while the gender of victims is predominantly men (57 or 51%) and women (47 or 42%) and 14% transgender. 2011 remains consistent with the last several years, showing an increase in the number of incidents reported against transgender individuals by 14%, from 7 to 8 cases.

Long-term incidents trends remain consistent, with assaults and menacing complaints remaining relatively stable. Vandalism and property damage remain a problem in Ohio, with 5 reports of vandalism and 1 report of property damage reported in 2011. Threats and intimidation-related offenses continue to be a pervasive problem in Ohio with 66 reports of threats in 2011 consisting of 24% of total hate violence reports. Verbal harassment increased by 51% between 2010 and 2011, from 47 to 71 reported cases, and reports of discrimination increased by 15%, from 27 to 31 reported cases. There is a particularly concerning increase (4%) in cyber harassment and telephone harassment. As electronic media and social networking become more popular in society and in the LGBTQ community, the abuse and harassment of individuals through these means has also increased. Physical violence is increasing, a dangerous trend that has unfolded for the last 4 years. In 2011 24 victims (22% of cases) reported injury and 18 of them (16%) were injured severely enough to require medical attention. Sexual assault within the context of a hate incident continues to be of concern. Eight such sexual assault incidents (3% of cases) were reported in 2011.

According to BRAVO President Emerita, Chris Cozad “Unfortunately, there is still a lot of hate out there in the world. LGBTQ people are still targeted regularly, the sad reality is that as society gets more violent, and so do these attacks. The fact that we are still not safe in our homes and work places drives home the point that LGBTQ people are still perceived as second-class citizens. We are often subject to attack, and in many places there are no protections under local/state law. In the State of Ohio LGBTQ people are subjected to legal discrimination every day of our lives.”