Anti-gay hate crimes hit 5-year high in Texas
Based on numbers released by the FBI on Monday, one might think the number of hate crimes reported in Texas declined dramatically in 2012.
According to the FBI’s 2012 Hate Crimes Statistics report, the number of hate crimes went from 152 in Texas in 2011 to just 52 in 2012. That would put Texas alongside states like Maine and Oregon when it comes to total number of anti-gay hate crimes, compared to the 910 reported in California or the 715 reported in New York.
Turns out there’s one huge problem: As Claire St. Amant at CultureMap Dallas points out, Texas was one of two states that missed the reporting deadline for the FBI stats, meaning most cities in the Lone Star State were left off the report.
The Texas Department of Public Safety has posted its own numbers showing that the state actually saw an increase of roughly 16 percent in hate crimes in 2012, with a total of 170 reported incidents. According to the DPS report, 53 of those incidents — or 31 percent — were motivated by victims’ sexual orientation. That’s an 8 percent increase in anti-gay hate crimes from 2011, and the highest number reported in Texas since 2008. According to DPS, there were 55 anti-gay hate crimes in 2008, 36 in 2009, 39 in 2010 and 49 in 2011.
More, including links to statistical data, at http://www.lonestarq.com/anti-gay-hate-crimes-hit-5-year-high-in-texas/ .
Cross-posted in Texas Group.