Seil
06-16-2010, 11:55 AM
Link (http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Hate+attacks+against+gays+spike+2008+StatsCan/3153745/story.html)
Apparently, we hate everyone and we're beating the crap out of each other for being different.
...That's profoundly disturbing.
OTTAWA — The number of anti-gay hate crimes, particularly violence against homosexual males, increased dramatically in 2008, according to new figures released Monday by Statistics Canada.
The study found the number of hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation more than doubled in 2008 compared to the previous year and were more likely to involve violence than racially and religiously motivated attacks.
In fact, three-quarters of all hate crimes against homosexuals involved violence, compared with 38 per cent of racially motivated crimes and a quarter of religiously motivated crimes.
Men accounted for 85 per cent of the victims and most of the incidents occurred in Toronto and Vancouver, the study found.
While the increase is likely due to more reporting of incidents to police, Helen Kennedy, executive director of Egale Canada said it's an alarming reality that gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered Canadians know all too well and that governments can no longer ignore.
"Reports of incidents have gone up and I think that's directly related to some of the training we're doing with the police and to engage the community to try and encourage people to report these incidents," she said, noting an estimated 75 per cent of cases still go unreported.
"We've known for years and years that we have a big problem with violence against the LGBT community . . . and I don't think the government can continue to sweep this under the carpet and say that we have great legislation in Canada to protect LGBT communities (when) the reality is that we're not."
The Statistics Canada figures suggest young people between the ages of 12 and 22 are responsible for six in 10 hate crimes; the majority of those accused being 17 or 18.
Kennedy said that's consistent with Egale's own research and suggested efforts to reverse this alarming trend need to begin in schools.
Teachers need to be better trained in how to deal with anti-gay incidents that arise in classrooms and school corridors and young people need resources to be able to defend themselves and speak openly, she said.
"We need curriculum that reflects kids with queer parents . . . We need curriculum that addresses the LGBT community through history," she added. "There's a ton of work that needs to be done in this area."
Constance Backhouse, a University of Ottawa law professor who specializes in sexual and racial discrimination, suggested both society as a whole and same-sex couples themselves have become more comfortable with public displays of homosexuality.
Noting that may not sit well with some, she suggested that too, could explain the rise in anti-gay incidents.
"We have started to move in our culture and our society and in our laws towards greater acceptance of gay and lesbian and bisexual reality," she said.
"Gay men and lesbians may be more out. They may be more publicly visible than they had been before. They may feel greater freedom to be out in public spaces together.
"This may be an indication of a backlash to that."
According to Statistics Canada, police agencies across the country reported 1,036 hate crimes in 2008, up 35 per cent from a year earlier.
About 42 per cent of all hate crimes were violent in nature, involving assaults and uttering threats, while mischief and vandalism occurred in 47 per cent of the incidents.
Crimes related to sexual orientation actually accounted for just 16 per cent of all hate incidents, while 55 per cent were motivated by race or ethnicity and 26 per cent by religion.
The report found religiously motivated incidents increased by 53 per cent with about two-thirds of the crimes targeted Jews. Police agencies reported 165 incidents targeting Jews in 2008, a 42 per cent increase over the previous year.
B'nai Brith Canada said the figures don't come as much of a surprise and are consistent with its own findings.
Anita Bromberg, the organization's national director of legal affairs, suggested incidents against Jews tend to be influenced by the political climate in the Middle East.
She suggested the growing tension that led to the armed conflict in Gaza in late 2008 may have also impacted hate crimes against Jews, and she said she anticipates another spike in anti-Semitism as a result of the recent confrontation between Israeli forces and activists aboard a Gaza-bound flotilla that resulted in nine fatalities.
"Our audit certainly reflects that when tension in the Middle East arises, so do hate crimes," she said.
About four in 10 hate crimes in 2008 were reported by police in Toronto and Vancouver. After accounting for population differences, rates were higher in several small Ontario cities including London, Guelph, Kingston and Brantford, Statistics Canada said.
Vancouver, Hamilton and Kitchener, Ont., were among the larger census areas to report high rates of hate crimes.
And it's not just gay people, it's all hate-crime:
Link (http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Hate+crimes+rise+tolerant+city/3156940/story.html)
Metro Vancouver residents who pride themselves on their tolerance have to face the bad news that hate crimes have almost doubled in this diverse city.
Statistics Canada reported Monday that Metro Vancouver was the only major city in Canada that has seen a rise in all three categories of hate crimes -based on ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation.
The news is particularly disturbing for blacks and Jews. Despite making up a tiny fraction of Metro Vancouver's population, the data suggests blacks were the most common victims of race crimes and Jews the most frequent subjects of "religious" hatred.
But Metro Vancouver gays and lesbians also have reason to feel anxious. In a report that comes after two downtown Vancouver men were beaten Saturday night by young assailants shouting homophobic insults, Statistics Canada says Metro Vancouver joins Quebec City in having "the highest proportions of hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation."
The StatsCan report compares changes in police-reported hate crimes between 2008 and 2007. These independently verified hate crimes jumped 35 per cent in 2008 across the country, to a national total of 1,036. In Metro Vancouver, they leaped a startling 81 per cent, for a total of 143.
Even though StatsCan reminds us that "reported" hate crimes don't always correspond with the actual rate of such crimes, the trend line reminds us a small, self-righteous and angry fraction of the population continues to scapegoat people based solely on their ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation.
For good or ill, those Canadians who engage in hate crimes are mostly young. Across Canada, six in 10 people accused of hate crimes were between 12 and 22 years, which fortunately suggests that blind bigotry eases with the passing of the years.
Two figures in the StatsCan data for Metro's stand out as shocking.
Even though blacks make up only one per cent of Metro's population, far less than other visible minorities, the city's blacks are, proportionally, by far the biggest victims of hate crimes.
There were 16 reported hate crimes against Metro blacks in 2008, compared to 11 against East and Southeast Asians, 11 against South Asians and two against whites.
Even though blacks were also victims of the most reported hate crimes on a national basis, that can in part be statistically explained by the existence of large black populations in cities such as Toronto and Montreal.
However, it's even more alarming when the data shows blacks are most often assaulted, threatened or robbed because of their race in Metro Vancouver, where their numbers are minuscule.
Jews also make up only one per cent of Metro residents, but were far more likely than members of other religions to report a hate crime.
Twenty-eight Jews were subjected to hate crimes in the city in 2008 (up from nine in 2007). That compared to three reported crimes against Catholics, one against Muslims and eight against "other religions."
The hate crimes involving Jews were not as severe as those involving blacks. Unlike with blacks, none of the crimes against Jews included assault. Two thirds of hate crimes against Jews were described as "mischief," usually vandalism.
While hate crimes can justifiably send shock waves through communities, it is wise to avoid sensationalizing these new statistics.
Although reported hate crimes rose, sociologists say such reporting goes up when members of a community feel more trusting police will take their complaints seriously. In addition, Vancouver's hate-crimes ratio is only marginally harsher than that of Toronto or Ottawa. The odds against being a victim of hate in Metro Vancouver continues to be a relatively healthy one in 16,000. The vast majority of city residents continue to practice the tolerance they preach.
Apparently, we hate everyone and we're beating the crap out of each other for being different.
...That's profoundly disturbing.
OTTAWA — The number of anti-gay hate crimes, particularly violence against homosexual males, increased dramatically in 2008, according to new figures released Monday by Statistics Canada.
The study found the number of hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation more than doubled in 2008 compared to the previous year and were more likely to involve violence than racially and religiously motivated attacks.
In fact, three-quarters of all hate crimes against homosexuals involved violence, compared with 38 per cent of racially motivated crimes and a quarter of religiously motivated crimes.
Men accounted for 85 per cent of the victims and most of the incidents occurred in Toronto and Vancouver, the study found.
While the increase is likely due to more reporting of incidents to police, Helen Kennedy, executive director of Egale Canada said it's an alarming reality that gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered Canadians know all too well and that governments can no longer ignore.
"Reports of incidents have gone up and I think that's directly related to some of the training we're doing with the police and to engage the community to try and encourage people to report these incidents," she said, noting an estimated 75 per cent of cases still go unreported.
"We've known for years and years that we have a big problem with violence against the LGBT community . . . and I don't think the government can continue to sweep this under the carpet and say that we have great legislation in Canada to protect LGBT communities (when) the reality is that we're not."
The Statistics Canada figures suggest young people between the ages of 12 and 22 are responsible for six in 10 hate crimes; the majority of those accused being 17 or 18.
Kennedy said that's consistent with Egale's own research and suggested efforts to reverse this alarming trend need to begin in schools.
Teachers need to be better trained in how to deal with anti-gay incidents that arise in classrooms and school corridors and young people need resources to be able to defend themselves and speak openly, she said.
"We need curriculum that reflects kids with queer parents . . . We need curriculum that addresses the LGBT community through history," she added. "There's a ton of work that needs to be done in this area."
Constance Backhouse, a University of Ottawa law professor who specializes in sexual and racial discrimination, suggested both society as a whole and same-sex couples themselves have become more comfortable with public displays of homosexuality.
Noting that may not sit well with some, she suggested that too, could explain the rise in anti-gay incidents.
"We have started to move in our culture and our society and in our laws towards greater acceptance of gay and lesbian and bisexual reality," she said.
"Gay men and lesbians may be more out. They may be more publicly visible than they had been before. They may feel greater freedom to be out in public spaces together.
"This may be an indication of a backlash to that."
According to Statistics Canada, police agencies across the country reported 1,036 hate crimes in 2008, up 35 per cent from a year earlier.
About 42 per cent of all hate crimes were violent in nature, involving assaults and uttering threats, while mischief and vandalism occurred in 47 per cent of the incidents.
Crimes related to sexual orientation actually accounted for just 16 per cent of all hate incidents, while 55 per cent were motivated by race or ethnicity and 26 per cent by religion.
The report found religiously motivated incidents increased by 53 per cent with about two-thirds of the crimes targeted Jews. Police agencies reported 165 incidents targeting Jews in 2008, a 42 per cent increase over the previous year.
B'nai Brith Canada said the figures don't come as much of a surprise and are consistent with its own findings.
Anita Bromberg, the organization's national director of legal affairs, suggested incidents against Jews tend to be influenced by the political climate in the Middle East.
She suggested the growing tension that led to the armed conflict in Gaza in late 2008 may have also impacted hate crimes against Jews, and she said she anticipates another spike in anti-Semitism as a result of the recent confrontation between Israeli forces and activists aboard a Gaza-bound flotilla that resulted in nine fatalities.
"Our audit certainly reflects that when tension in the Middle East arises, so do hate crimes," she said.
About four in 10 hate crimes in 2008 were reported by police in Toronto and Vancouver. After accounting for population differences, rates were higher in several small Ontario cities including London, Guelph, Kingston and Brantford, Statistics Canada said.
Vancouver, Hamilton and Kitchener, Ont., were among the larger census areas to report high rates of hate crimes.
And it's not just gay people, it's all hate-crime:
Link (http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Hate+crimes+rise+tolerant+city/3156940/story.html)
Metro Vancouver residents who pride themselves on their tolerance have to face the bad news that hate crimes have almost doubled in this diverse city.
Statistics Canada reported Monday that Metro Vancouver was the only major city in Canada that has seen a rise in all three categories of hate crimes -based on ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation.
The news is particularly disturbing for blacks and Jews. Despite making up a tiny fraction of Metro Vancouver's population, the data suggests blacks were the most common victims of race crimes and Jews the most frequent subjects of "religious" hatred.
But Metro Vancouver gays and lesbians also have reason to feel anxious. In a report that comes after two downtown Vancouver men were beaten Saturday night by young assailants shouting homophobic insults, Statistics Canada says Metro Vancouver joins Quebec City in having "the highest proportions of hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation."
The StatsCan report compares changes in police-reported hate crimes between 2008 and 2007. These independently verified hate crimes jumped 35 per cent in 2008 across the country, to a national total of 1,036. In Metro Vancouver, they leaped a startling 81 per cent, for a total of 143.
Even though StatsCan reminds us that "reported" hate crimes don't always correspond with the actual rate of such crimes, the trend line reminds us a small, self-righteous and angry fraction of the population continues to scapegoat people based solely on their ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation.
For good or ill, those Canadians who engage in hate crimes are mostly young. Across Canada, six in 10 people accused of hate crimes were between 12 and 22 years, which fortunately suggests that blind bigotry eases with the passing of the years.
Two figures in the StatsCan data for Metro's stand out as shocking.
Even though blacks make up only one per cent of Metro's population, far less than other visible minorities, the city's blacks are, proportionally, by far the biggest victims of hate crimes.
There were 16 reported hate crimes against Metro blacks in 2008, compared to 11 against East and Southeast Asians, 11 against South Asians and two against whites.
Even though blacks were also victims of the most reported hate crimes on a national basis, that can in part be statistically explained by the existence of large black populations in cities such as Toronto and Montreal.
However, it's even more alarming when the data shows blacks are most often assaulted, threatened or robbed because of their race in Metro Vancouver, where their numbers are minuscule.
Jews also make up only one per cent of Metro residents, but were far more likely than members of other religions to report a hate crime.
Twenty-eight Jews were subjected to hate crimes in the city in 2008 (up from nine in 2007). That compared to three reported crimes against Catholics, one against Muslims and eight against "other religions."
The hate crimes involving Jews were not as severe as those involving blacks. Unlike with blacks, none of the crimes against Jews included assault. Two thirds of hate crimes against Jews were described as "mischief," usually vandalism.
While hate crimes can justifiably send shock waves through communities, it is wise to avoid sensationalizing these new statistics.
Although reported hate crimes rose, sociologists say such reporting goes up when members of a community feel more trusting police will take their complaints seriously. In addition, Vancouver's hate-crimes ratio is only marginally harsher than that of Toronto or Ottawa. The odds against being a victim of hate in Metro Vancouver continues to be a relatively healthy one in 16,000. The vast majority of city residents continue to practice the tolerance they preach.