A new report revealed a drastic increase in the amount of LGBT homicides last year.
On Monday the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, a national organization focused on reducing violence to the LGBT community, released a mid-year report which revealed there was an 86 percent increase in LGBT violence in 2017.
“We are releasing this report during a time when our communities are witnessing the few civil rights protections and policies being rolled back and discrimination being instituted into law; when media organizations and organizations working with survivors are receiving an unprecedented number of stories of hate fueled attacks,” NCAVP wrote in the report’s introduction.
Their data shows there were 52 LGBT people killed in the United States in 2017 — increased from 28 murders in 2016 and 24 in 2015.
The 86 percent increase is on an individual basis. This means that the 52 murder were not compared to 2016’ Pulse Nightclub massacre, which killed 49 people. If included, 2016’s LGBT murders would have reached 77.
NCAVP found that the victims of these homicides have “overwhelmingly been transgender women and queer, bi, or gay cisgender men.”
“While much of this violence is not new, but rather amplified, this past year has sparked a national conversation about the escalation of hate violence against so many marginalized communities,” the organization wrote. “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.“
Last year, 22 of the LGBT murders were of transgender women of color. NCAVP also points out the reported number of transgender women of color homicides has been “consistent and steadily rising” over the last five years.
The report also found that of the 52 murders in 2017, 71 percent of victims were people of color. Black people had the largest percentage at 60 percent, followed by Latinx, Asian and Native.
NCAVP’s report also discovered the majority of victims were under age 35 — 67 percent of the total.
The most used weapon were guns, at 59 percent. Three of these guns were used by police officers.
Most of the homicides occurred in Texas (7 victims) and New York (6 victims), followed by Georgia (5), Louisiana (4) and Florida (4). Over half of the total homicides in 2017 occurred in these states.
“For too long, legislators have not taken meaningful or effective steps to address the increase of hate violence in this country. We ask that people call their representatives and ask them what they will do right now to proactively address hate violence and ensure that their communities are safe and affirming for LGBTQ people,” they wrote. “The time for addressing this crisis of violence is now.”
