Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Discrimination and Hate Crimes in the LGBT Community
Discrimination and Hate Crimes in the LGBT Community
Discrimination and Hate Crimes in the LGBT Community
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Discrimination and Hate Crimes in the LGBT Community
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals people make up more than ten percent of the population; that means if you are sitting in a classroom of thirty, then more than three of those people are LGBT individuals. However, this overwhelmingly large minority group continues to be one of the least protected by the government as well as most heavily targeted by discrimination and hate crimes. Regardless of the powerful shift in public opinion concerning LGBT individuals during the last twenty years, the laws concerning hate crimes have remained invariable. A hate crime is an act of aggression against an individual's actual or perceived race, ethnicity, religions, disability, sexual orientation, or gender. Examples include assault and battery, vandalism, or threats which involve bias indicators - pieces of evidence like bigoted name-calling or graffiti. These crimes do not target the individuals who are physically or verbally battered but the community the individual is or is thought to be a member on a whole. These offenses are far more damaging since they attack someone for who they are rather than what they have done or possess. They also tear at the fragile existence of a society by making them feel isolated and vulnerable. Currently there are only two federal laws and 21 states, plus the District of Columbia, which protect sexual minorities from hate crimes, and both federal laws are worthless in persecuting nearly all cases reported. The first, the Hate Crimes Statistics Act, merely requires the FBI to collect and examine hate crime statistics given to them from state and local law enforcement agencies. However, these statistics must be volunteered from the agencies, which leaves a rather large looph... ... middle of paper ... ...edom of speech; they would berate the criminal action which is already punishable in courts. Hate crime legislation is needed. Crimes are on the upswing, becoming more public, more violent, and more acceptable in certain places of society. Without the proposed laws there is little chance that this shall become any less prevalent. As NGLTF, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, a well-respected agency who fights for equal rights for homosexuals, stated in their December 1997 article, the exclusion or removal of sexual orientation from hate crimes legislation by law makers is morally indefensible at a time when anti-gay violence is widespread. Failure to address this critical problem sends a dangerous message to law enforcement and the public that anti-gay violence does not exist, or worse, is somehow less reprehensible than violence against other minorities.
A hate crime is defined as “a crime motivated by racial, sexual, or other prejudice, typically one involving violence” (Oxford Dictionaries). Matthew Shepard’s death caused great disorder in Laramie, despite the fact that it was originally an unknown town. In a sense, Laramie itself has changed due to the media attention of this event. Hate was originally “not a Laramie value” (Kaufman 15), but after this hate crime, the public has great sympathy for Matthew Shepard and distrust towards Laramie’s people. Even with all the support as well as the parade for Shepard, it is quite disappointing that there weren’t any regulations or protection offered to homosexuals, bisexuals, or transgender, after this crime.
. Spaid argues that hate crime laws, sometimes referred to as “reform laws,” are ultimately ineffective, harmful, and maintain an oppressive and violent system in which it claims to resist. These laws “include crimes motivated by the gender identity and/or expression of the victim,” (79) implicated in seven states across the country, such as the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, created after the hate murders of these two men fueled by bigotry and hate. Proponents of these laws argue that they would work as “preventative messages,” and increase the regard in which these crimes are considered, under the terms of preserving the humanity of these victims, often trans women, while increasing their visibility. These
In conclusion, Heidi Hurd did a passable job in explaining both parts of the discussion. Based on her article I have come to the conclusion that this is a topic not easily solved. With every argument that the people in favor of hate crime legislation those against are able to oppose it with their own. It is simple not possible to generalize case because although they may be similar they are never the same. Discrimination, hate, and prejudice has always been and will continue to be a topic discussed for many years.
Hate crimes can be described as criminal activities that are perceived to be fueled by prejudice against and hostility towards the victim based on an individual characteristic. In most cases, hate crimes are motivated by gender, disability, sexual orientation, race, identity, and religion or faith. The increase in hate crimes in the recent past has not only made it a major issue that needs to be addressed in the modern society but has also attracted several legislative measures to deal with it. However, dealing with this major societal issue not only requires these legislative measures but also necessitate creative and critical thinking to enhance the effectiveness of initiatives taken to address it. The development of suitable initiatives through creative and critical thinking requires evaluating and refining resolutions.
Hate crime is defined as an illegal act against a person, institution, or property that is motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender’s biased beliefs against individuals because of their race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, and gender. The term hate crime became part of the American lexicon in 1985 when it was coined by United States Representatives John Conyers and Mario Biaggi. Although the term hate crime and societal interest in it are relatively recent developments, hate crime has deep historical roots. Let's focus in race originated hate crimes because they are the most committed and talked about, yet the least done about.
Critics often argue that hate crime laws are giving the wrong convictions to people who commit assault crimes. However, some people do get the wrong convictions for there crimes, but usually, the crimes they commit in this situation are hate crimes and need to be taken seriously. For example, Audra Burch wrote in the article “Lawmakers Seek Harsher Hate Crime Penalties,” “The F.B.I.‘s latest report, released in November, showed a 6.7 percent rise in reported hate crimes in 2015” (Burch 3.) This proves that the hate crime reports have risen and we need to do something about it. Another reason by Audra Burch is, “Hate crimes increased to 1,998 from 1,886” (Burch 3.) This shows that hate crimes are going up and the penalties we have now are not affecting people's decisions. Lastly, in the article “More Than a Third of Trans People Suffered Hate Crimes in 2017,” Ryan Butcher stated, “More than a third of all transgender people in the UK have been victims of a hate crime in the past 12 months,” (Butcher 1.) This states that more hate crimes are happening not only in the United States but all over the world. In sum, it is apparent to see that, there is a need for the harsher hate crime penalty because hate crimes are increasing and the punishment we have right now isn’t helping us cut down on hate
Hate crimes have increased over the years and it cannot be left unattended. Under the hate crime laws, any hate crime resulting in violence or causing harm will be punished more severely. Taking other laws into consideration, sentences are already enhanced for certain groups. If other groups can enhance punishment by their criteria than by all means hate crime should be subjected to enhanced punishment. The three important words that separate a hate crime from crime is “motivated by hate”. If the hate crime leads to fear and vulnerability for victims. By having legislations for hate crimes, the victims or particular groups prone to being victims are protected. Some of the people are mistaken to be of a particular group that could lead to hate crime towards that person. However, this is still considered to be a hate crime because of the against a particular group and person. Not all crime expressing hate are hate crime and it is crucial to determine whether expression of hate violates the first amendment as well as the hate legislations. Many hate crime victims of hate crime tend to not report these offenses to the police because of the society's perspective toward the reason of being a victim. An example of this would be a person who is attracted to the same sex and lives in an area where being gay is viewed negatively. He becomes a victim of gender bias hate crime but does
One place that the LGBT community is looking for equality is in the workplace. In the United States it is legal for a company or employer to fire or not hire someone based on his or her sexual orientation. Although there are some federal recourse through civil rights and equal employment claims, there’s no national anti-discrimination law to protect the LGBT workers from state discrimination (Stone). Discrimination against the LGBT community in the workplace has begun to take the national spotlight due to the Supreme Court 's 5-4 decision on June 26, 2015. Workplace discrimination against the LGBT community is detrimental and should be unlawful. Not only does an LGBT member experience lower wages, they also are less likely to receive a promotion when running up against other applicants that are not apart of the LGBT community (Isaacs). According to the Center for American Progress, 10-28 percent of the LGBT community receive negative performance evaluations or were passed over for a promotion because of their sexual orientation. Along with those numbers it is also proven that 8-17 percent of gay and transgender workers report being passed over or fired from a job due to their gender orientation (Burns). These numbers are proof that discrimination in the workplace is violating the equality rights of those that are apart of the LGBT
In conclusion, Hate Crimes are crimes that are biased against religion, gender, or sexual preferences. They affect people as a community or individually. As a community or specific social group, it can ignite racial
There has been an increasing amount of hate crimes. A hate crime is criminal activity motivated by prejudice based on race, religion, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. During the last couple of years there have been five thousand, nine hundred and twenty eight incidents resulting in seven thousand, two hundred and forty two victims. In 2014 there's 784 active hate crimes against blacks.This remains far more numerous than hate crimes against the larger population of whites. The number of racial and ethnic incidents reported has fallen steadily, from about 6000 a year to 3,500 a year. In the last year the racial incidents are fifty two percent of blacks and nineteen percent of the whites. Every hour in the United States, somebody commits a hate crime. Half of the hate crimes in the nation is committed by people between the ages of fifteen and twenty four. Forty one states and the District of Columbia has laws against hate
Hate crimes today have evolved in every way shape and form and it must be brought to the awareness of not only our fellow citizen but our
There are many who believe hate crime should be punished more severely since it ‘’has the potential to cause greater harm.’’ (Hate Crime Laws, 2014) Hate crimes, like racial discrimination, have unfortunately been a part of this country for centuries, racial discrimination was rampant in the 19th and 20th century, but mostly in the south; many segregation laws were created at the time ‘’that banned African Americans from voting, attending certain schools, and using public accommodations. ’’ (Hate Crime Laws, 2014)
Showing bias to a certain group in our society should not be how we express our differences of another community. We should not be hated because the color of our skins, our sexual orientation, or the religion that we chose to believe in. I know it is hard to accept that things are changing in American today but we must adapt to the change and not live with such hate in our hearts. Having the proper prevention strategies intact will help these crimes decrease each year. Educating everyone on the topic of hate crimes will give everyone a sense of understanding of the severeness of is crime and the consequences giving when this crime is
dThe treatment of the LGBT community in American society is a true social injustice. LGBT, or the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, community has gone through many hardships whether it’s been being harassed, denied
1 vols. Issues: Hate Crimes. 14 March 2014 www.hrc.org/the-hrc-story>. Joanna Almeida, Renee M. Johnson, Heather L. Corliss, Beth E. Molnar. Emotional Distress among LGBT Youth: The Influence of Perceived Discrimination Based On Sexual Orientation.