Hate Crime Essay

1297 Words3 Pages

Sexual Orientation Based Hate Crimes with Relation to Perceptions & Gender-Biases What are the characteristics of a sexual orientation based hate crime? What perceptions and misconceptions are there concerning sexual orientation based crimes? In addition, how, if at all, does perception and gender play a role in the sector of sexual orientation based hate crimes? Each of these topics plays a crucial role in the attempt to understand the concept and definition of a sexual orientation based hate crime. In addition to understanding this concept, in what ways does it or does it not support the inclusion of gender roles into sexual orientation based crimes? “According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), a hate crime is a violation of law “motivated by the offenders’ bias against a race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability” (FBI, 2004, p. iv)” (Stacey 3). Although this standard definition is the basis for a hate crime, the decision of whether to incorporate gender into it is highly controversial among scholars. Furthermore, the specific characteristics of sexual orientation based hate crimes are unique to their own; however, the theme of this paper focuses on the connections between not only the aspects and perceptions of sexual orientation based crimes, but also how gender roles concur with the characteristics of sexual orientation based hate crimes or hate crimes in general. Michele Stacey, from Distinctive Characteristics of Sexual Orientation Bias Crimes, conducted a research with the objective of discovering distinct aspects and patterns of hate crimes fueled by sexual orientation biases. According to the FBI, 15% of all reported hate crimes in the United States are “motivated by sexual orientation bi... ... middle of paper ... ...ough which homosexuality is denigrated, discredited, and socially constructed as invalid relative to heterosexuality (Herek, 2008; Herek, Chopp, & Strohl, 2007)” (Herek 4). This concept explicitly explained the concept in which perpetrators of sexual orientation based hate crimes base their behaviors off of. In relation to sexual orientation based hate crimes, gender-bias based hate crimes may generate from a similar stigmatism. Due to their similarity in concept, gender-bias and sexual orientation based hate crimes can become interconnected and confuse the perspective of onlookers as well as victims. Although the concept of gender-bias hate crimes is not widely accepted yet, it does appear to play a crucial role in the relationship between sexual orientation based hate crimes, gender-biases, and the multitude of perceptions in concurrence with these criminal acts.

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