LGBTQIA+ Safety Awareness

In 2019, the number of anti-trans violence incidents grew by 18% from 2018 to 2019 (FBI 2019 Hate Crime Stats Report). According to the FBI, a hate crime is defined as: “a criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity”. Though Federal laws do not ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, all but 5 states (Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina, and Wyoming) have laws addressing hate crimes. In Texas, hate crimes are addressed based on sexual orientation but not gender identity. In 20 States and D.C., hate crimes are addressed based on sexual orientation AND gender identity.