Report: 2017 was the deadliest year on record for LGBTQ people
LGBTQ homicide rates rose 86 percent last year, with transgender women of color disproportionately affected
According to a new report, 2017 was the most fatal year on record for LGBTQ people in the United States.
The New York City Anti-Violence Project’s annual “Crisis of Hate” report found an 86 percent surge in violent LGBTQ homicides last year, with a total of 52 reported incidents, or the “equivalent of one homicide of an LGBTQ person in the U.S. each week.”
Cisgender men and transgender women comprised the majority of victims, while over 71% of those killed were people of color.
Transgender women of color have been particularly targeted by violence, with NCVAP noting a “consistent and steadily rising number of reports of homicides,” with 22 trans women of color killed in 2017.
NCVAP, which works to prevent, respond to, and end all forms of violence against and within LGBTQ and HIV-affected communities, argues that this kind of violence is not new, but social politics have made it more “amplified.”
“This past year has sparked a national conversation about the escalation of hate violence against so many marginalized communities,” NCVAP said. “NCAVP hopes that sharing this information now will encourage people to reject anti-LGBTQ bias whenever it occurs, and to resist any hateful rhetoric or policies put forward by this administration or by legislators.”
NCAVP urged LGBTQ people to call their representatives and discuss the rising homicide rates.
“Ask them what they will do right now to proactively address hate violence,” the organization said, “and ensure that their communities are safe and affirming for LGBTQ people.”
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