Anti-LGBTQ Hate Crimes Sees A Major Increase in Los Angeles

Anti-LGBTQ Hate Crimes Sees A Major Increase in Los Angeles

As we've mentioned before, our Fleshbot Gay HQ is in the heart of Los Angeles, skipping distance to Boys Town aka West Hollywood. It's easy to forget that there is a world where anti-LGBTQ people are causing an issue, especially when we are in a bubble of go-go boys and Grindr gays. The pride flag waves proudly at many establishments and Los Angeles has been seen as a safe space for the queer community. Is that all changing with the energy of the new political administration taking over in 2025? In alarming data, there has been an increase in hate crimes targeting gay men and the trans community by 45%. 45%!!!!

According to the L.A. County Hate Crime Report from the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations, there were a reported 1350 hate crimes, with anti-LGBTQ hate crimes taking up 256 of that number. 83% of the anti-queer hate crimes were violent. The trans community has seen an even higher increase with 99 reported hate crimes, 125% more than in 2022. 97% of those crimes were reported as violent assaults.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by LA vs Hate (@lavshate)

The city issues a press release: “This report is grim. The hate crimes detailed in it are serious. Many of them are violent. They leave victims across the county permanently, even if not visibly, scarred. They shatter the sense of safety these individuals had and, in many cases, destroy it for their families and communities as well."

The Hate Crime Report detailed some of the anti-LGBTQ cases, with many including the use of the "F-word" towards gay men, one quoted an assailant: “I have a firearm. All you f*gg*ts should die. The world would be a better place without you.” There have been reported firearms, brass knuckles, and hand-to-hand assaults, unprovoked.

The city has clarified some of the rate increases may be due to Los Angeles' new online hate crime reporting system called LAvsHate.org. It makes reporting easier and free to users. The executive director of the Commission on Human Relations stated “It’s critical to recognize that the growth in reported hate crimes is partly due to the success of our LA vs Hate system, which urges every victim of hate crime to report to us and gain free services and support. Connecting with more people and their communities who refuse to remain silent by reporting hate, and building intergroup solidarity, is an essential part of our strategy for ending hate.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by LA vs Hate (@lavshate)

The LA vs Hate campaign has released a series of social media graphics to share. "These assets can be used to show your support, take a stance against hate, and promote the LA vs Hate campaign within your friends, family, co-workers and community."

Who knows what is in store for the queer community in the next year. Very likely we will see fewer protections against anti-LGBTQ hate crimes and an increase in hate towards our community that will probably go unchecked. If this is happening in major cities like Los Angeles, can you imagine what is happening in less queer-friendly cities? We need to buckle down and look out for each other.

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected]
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.