{"id":66194,"date":"2024-07-23T11:58:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-23T18:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=66194"},"modified":"2024-07-23T11:58:02","modified_gmt":"2024-07-23T18:58:02","slug":"with-lgbtq-hate-crimes-rising-how-is-california-responding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=66194","title":{"rendered":"With LGBTQ+ Hate Crimes Rising, How is California Responding?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_59 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_59\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span><a class=\"tdb-author-name\" href=\"https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/author\/selen-ozturk\/\">Selen Ozturk<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_60 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_60\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><i class=\"tdb-date-icon tdc-font-fa tdc-font-fa-calendar\"><\/i><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2024-07-22T09:00:00-07:00\">Jul 22, 2024<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_61 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_61\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>The number of anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes in California nearly doubled last year despite an overall decrease in hate crimes statewide, leaving many feeling unsafe in their communities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_62 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_62\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"entry-thumb\" title=\"rainbow flag\" src=\"https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rainbow-flag.png\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2402px) 100vw, 2402px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rainbow-flag.png 2402w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rainbow-flag-300x162.png 300w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rainbow-flag-1024x553.png 1024w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rainbow-flag-768x415.png 768w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rainbow-flag-1536x830.png 1536w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rainbow-flag-2048x1107.png 2048w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rainbow-flag-150x81.png 150w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rainbow-flag-696x376.png 696w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rainbow-flag-1068x577.png 1068w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/rainbow-flag-1920x1038.png 1920w\" alt=\"\" width=\"2402\" height=\"1298\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_63 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_63\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>The number of anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes in California nearly doubled last year despite an overall decrease in hate crimes statewide, leaving many feeling unsafe in their communities.<\/p>\n<p>Black transgender women continue to be among those most targeted. In response, community-based organizations throughout California are partnering with the state\u2019s first-ever, multilingual hate crime reporting hotline, CA vs Hate.<\/p>\n<p>At a Thursday, July 18 Ethnic Media Services briefing, representatives from the California Civil Rights Department and community-based organizations statewide discussed the rise in anti-LGBTQ+ hate, the CA vs Hate initiative and on-the-ground stories of LGBTQ+ peoples\u2019 experiencing and fighting hate.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">California against LGBTQ+ hate<\/h2>\n<p>Of the 2,303 hate crimes reported to the California Attorney General between 2022 and 2023, those motivated by sexual orientation and gender together comprised 24.2%.<\/p>\n<p>Compared to an 8.9% fall in hate crimes overall, those motivated by sexual orientation bias rose 4.1% in 2023, and those motivated by anti-transgender or anti-gender-nonconforming bias rose 7.04% in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>Anti-LGBTQ+ bias events overall increased by 86.4% in 2023 from 2022.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td-video-replacer\" data-id=\"undefined\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"xm5TFtHCRwk\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"widget2\" title=\"Reporting Hate Crimes Can Prevent Future Violence, Improves Services for Victims\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xm5TFtHCRwk?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" width=\"100%\" height=\"392\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-12=\"true\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Becky Monroe, Deputy Director of Strategic Initiatives and External Affairs, The Civil Rights Department, explains how reporting hate crimes can prevent future violence and improves support services for victims.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThis data is underreported,\u201d said Becky Monroe, deputy director of strategic initiatives and external affairs at the California Civil Rights Department. \u201cWe hear directly from these communities that many don\u2019t feel safe to report or that it\u2019s not being shared accurately.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In response, the CA vs Hate hotline was launched in March 2023 to support Californians in reporting and overcoming hate by connecting them to state agencies as well as hundreds of community-based organizations providing resources including legal aid, counseling, mental health care, social services, and advocacy.<\/p>\n<p>The hotline provides services statewide in over 200 languages, with downloadable resources online in over 24 languages<\/p>\n<p>Reporting can be done at CAvsHate.org or by phone at 1-833-8NO-HATE Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. through 6 p.m. PST, with an option to leave a voicemail and get a return call outside those times.<\/p>\n<p>Even beyond crimes, \u201cwe respond to all forms of hate,\u201d said Monroe. \u201cI recently heard from a young African American woman in San Francisco who said every time she went into a store, she and her family were followed. She said \u2018It may not be a crime, but it\u2019s causing me harm\u2019 \u2026 and we connected her with organizations led by people who had shared experiences of discrimination. If you report, you will get support.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Transgender women of color<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cAmong LGBTQ deaths \u201cover 40%, on average per year, are trans women of color,\u201d said Toni Newman, director of The Coalition for Justice and Equality Across Movements at the National Minority AIDS Council; Chair of The Board Of Directors of TransCanWork; and Faculty Member of the Transgender Strategy Center.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td-video-replacer\" data-id=\"undefined\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"kHzKqhgG3uY\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"widget4\" title=\"Black Transgender Women Face \u2018Disproportionate\u2019 Rates of Violence\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kHzKqhgG3uY?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" width=\"100%\" height=\"392\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-12=\"true\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Toni Newman, Black Leadership Council, Director of The Coalition for Justice and Equality Across Movements and Director of The Center to End the Epidemic, shares statistics on anti-trans violence and discusses the higher rates of harm black trans women face.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In 2023, 84% of 32 transgender fatal violence victims in the U.S. documented by the Human Rights Campaign were people of color; 50% were Black transgender women.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have 30 years of lived experience as a trans woman of color. I had graduated from Wake Forest and found myself homeless, without family and friends. I have lived through what it is to have no home, and what hate looks like, up close and personal,\u201d said Newman.<\/p>\n<p>Some 36% of trans victims with a known killer in 2023 were killed by a partner, friend or family member; 78% were killed with a gun.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany of these women are below the poverty level and facing job and financial insecurity, putting them at a higher risk of violence, often coming internally,\u201d she continued. \u201cTo address the violence, we also have to address unfair treatment, unequal opportunities, living wages and health care \u2026 We are Americans. We are not asking for special treatment, just fair treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Community stories against LGBTQ+ hate<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cI found in my work that the highest populations being targeted were LGBTQ+ and undocumented people,\u201d said Andy Ruiz, the first staff attorney hired at St. John\u2019s Community Health clinic, a CA vs Hate partner in Los Angeles. \u201cI\u2019ve found it very helpful paralleling this work with my immigration work, when it comes to victims\u2019 reluctance to report hate crimes to law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td-video-replacer\" data-id=\"undefined\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"Oj-VVO-nsa4\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"widget6\" title=\"Police Dismissiveness Towards LGBTIQ+ People Leads to Underreporting of Hate Crimes\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Oj-VVO-nsa4?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" width=\"100%\" height=\"392\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-12=\"true\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Andy Ruiz, Legal Support Staff and Grant Administrator at St. Johns Community Health Legal Services Department, discusses the need for greater accountability when it comes to police response to the LGBTIQ+ community.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cMany times, individuals do try to report hate incidents, but they\u2019re shooed away, and then are reluctant to call law enforcement when the incidents escalate and they\u2019re being physically attacked,\u201d Ruiz explained.<\/p>\n<p>One individual came to St. John\u2019s seeking assistance, having been tricked into a relationship with a person in a gang, through a gay dating app during the pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis individual became very well acquainted with the other person, who came to his house with a knife and fellow gang members, who completely robbed his house,\u201d Ruiz said. \u201cThe individual called law enforcement, blamed him and said he shouldn\u2019t be meeting strangers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis individual was already represented by another attorney, who dropped the case because they didn\u2019t want issues with law enforcement,\u201d Ruiz continued. \u201cMy job is not to maintain friendships with external agencies. It\u2019s to help you. We got this individual\u2019s police report amended to show the bias, and helped him submit a U Visa application as the victim of a qualified crime.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a trans person myself \u2026 it taught me that sometimes the system will work against you, but you have to continue working with it,\u201d Ruiz added.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td-video-replacer\" data-id=\"undefined\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"Bw59fe52GnA\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"widget8\" title=\"The Devastating Impact of Bullying on LGBTQ+ Youth\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Bw59fe52GnA?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" width=\"100%\" height=\"392\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-12=\"true\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Aries Yumul, Coordinator LGBTQ+ District Resource and Support with the Santa Clara County Office of Education, shares why he became a teacher and the student suffering that moved him to advocate for LGBTQ+ youth in schools.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI was a high school teacher for many years, and I wanted to make my classroom a safe space. However, that wasn\u2019t enough. During those years I lost five students to suicide, and these will stay with me for the rest of my life,\u201d said Aries Rivers Yumul, who now coordinates districtwide and statewide LGBTQ+ support for the Santa Clara County Office of Education.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s no wonder that LGBTQ+ students are overrepresented in absenteeism, lower academic performance and the foster youth and juvenile justice systems,\u201d he continued. \u201cWhen I would talk to LGBTQ+ students who had been in these systems multiple times, they\u2019d tell me they felt safer there than they did outside.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Yumul is also part of a statewide collaborative of educators which has helped draft California legislation like SB 760, which guarantees all-gender restroom access for K-12 students; AB 5, which requires the state to develop online LGBT+ cultural competency training for teachers of grades seven through 12; and AB 1078, banning book bans and textbook censorship in the state\u2019s over 10,000 schools.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSchools are one of the last bastions of public service out there,\u201d Yumul added. \u201cAs educators, we\u2019re on the front lines of making sure students are safe \u2026 LGBTQ+ youth are among the most vulnerable, and we\u2019re trying to make sure they\u2019re cared for just as much as everyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BySelen Ozturk Jul 22, 2024 The&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinion","category-u-s-a"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=66194"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66194\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66195,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66194\/revisions\/66195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=66194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=66194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=66194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}