The New Gay » Love, Honor, Cherish, Attack?

Love, Honor, Cherish, Attack?

4 January 2010, 9:00 am 2 Comments

Chris Farris grew up in the DC suburbs and has lived in DC since graduating from law school in 1992. He works as an in-house attorney for a high-tech company and is Co-Chair of GLOV (Gays and Lesbians Opposing Violence), a non-profit, grassroots task force of the DC Center that works to reduce hate crimes against the LGBT community in DC.

Chris Farris

As the debate over marriage equality moves from the corners of the country into Washington D.C. — the capital of the free world — it turns out that we might have more to fear from the debate itself than from its outcome either direction. Why? Because the debate is taking place against a backdrop of a sudden and disturbing increase in violent acts of hate against the LGBT community that is occurring right here in the nation’s capital – and the Mayor and the Chief of Police refuse to even admit that there is a problem.

And if you think our opponents are not culpable here, think again. Bishop Harry Jackson, straw man for the anti-gay groups working against marriage equality had this to say recently in a U.S News and World Report interview:

“You’re going to see a bloodletting that is going to mark a new style of engagement for people who are against same-sex marriage.”

Jackson may have been referring to politicians, but this extreme rhetoric is just the latest in a long string of over the top pronouncements by Jackson, Marion Barry and others. But those who justify bigotry with their own version of “values” use words and demonstrate the kind of values that create a climate where fear and hatred become about more than words.

There was a 15% increase from 2007 to 2008 in hate crimes against the LGBT community in DC. So far, in 2009, there is an additional 20% increase over 2008, even if all hate crimes stopped now for the rest of the year. These numbers are from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) — not from any non-profit or community group that could reasonably or unreasonably be accused of skewing or exaggerating them. And yet, Chief Lanier only very recently — when pressed in detail on the statistics — admitted that the numbers are going up, after over 14 months of repeated assertions that hate crimes against the LGBT community are on a downward trend. Chief Lanier also continues to undermine the Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit of the MPD, essentially cutting off their ability to effectively help combat this sudden and sharp increase in attacks on the community they attempt to serve and protect (there is currently only one full-time officer in the Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit). Despite repeated requests, Mayor Fenty has to this point refused to admit that there is an increase in anti-LGBT hate crimes since 2007, and has refused to issue any public statement on the issue. Instead, both Chief Lanier and Mayor Fenty continue to play word games when they speak, if they speak at all.

Let’s be clear: it is indisputable that anti-LGBT hate crimes in the nation’s capital are experiencing a sharp and sudden increase. The MPD’s numbers are the only source for this statement, although we could point to other more anecdotal evidence (during a one-week period in October, there were 3 anti-LGBT hate crimes on or around the Georgetown University campus). The facts are the facts; they can be ignored, but they cannot be denied.

And it is against this rise in anti-LGBT hate crimes that we embark as a city – a city that exemplifies for so much of the rest of the world the very notions of peaceful change, civil rights leadership, and democracy — on a debate that is filled with dangerous and hateful rhetoric. Google “Washington DC gay marriage,” and you’ll be sent to a Washington Post article that contained this warning from Marion Barry, a civil rights champion of the past and an elected City Council official, on his prediction of what will happen if DC adopts a same-sex marriage bill: “All hell is going to break loose. We may have a civil war.”

This begs the question, what kind of civil war? What does this mean? It seems as if some people in our city are actually taking this “civil war” right to the point of hand-to-hand (or worse) combat on the city streets in the form of anti-LGBT violence.

In the context of this debate, we are increasingly concerned that that those who oppose same-sex marriage — whether they are elected officials, leaders of faith, teachers, or parents — are implicitly encouraging violence with their words of opposition.

We encourage all people involved in the debate over same-sex marriage — regardless of their position on the issue – to express those opinions and to engage in the democratic process. But we also encourage everyone to engage in the debate responsibly. Regardless of your view of the issue, we should all be able to agree that violence is wrong and hate crimes against the LGBT community deserve special attention right now given their sharp rise. Words can lead to violence — and it is especially incumbent upon all of those in a position to influence others to use their words carefully and remind those who may listen that violence against any group is wrong.

2 Comments »

Elijah said:

To be clear, are you claiming that there is a direct correlation between the reporting of hate crimes, actual rates of hate crimes and anti-gay marriage discussion? To my knowledge, there is no statistical, or even anecdotal, evidence to support that claim. Can you share your data source on this? Thanks.

4 January 2010 at 10:57 am

Sadie Ryanne Baker said:

Unpacking the Numbers
Racism, Poverty and the Response to Anti-LGBTQ Hate Crimes in D.C.

by Sadie Ryanne Baker
Published in the Metro Weekly on January 21, 2010, 5:59am

As a survivor of violence and a lesbian trans woman in a world that treats my identity as delusional or deceptive, I understand fear. I also understand the growing concern about the rise in reported hate crimes in D.C. Despite the Metropolitan Police Department’s failure to track anti-trans violence, it’s safe to say that many such incidents target trans people.

The numbers upset me, and they don’t even include cases that police fail to report, or that survivors fear reporting: undocumented immigrants who fear they’ll be deported, sex workers who fear they’ll be arrested, trans people who fear what the police might do when they find out that their ID card and appearance don’t match.

According to MPD’s statistics, from 2008 to 2009 anti-LGB hate crimes rose the most in Wards 7 and 8, encompassing the poorest neighborhoods in D.C. I have heard commentary from LGBTQ people implicitly or explicitly blaming “black churches” or “black people” for encouraging a climate of violence in these neighborhoods — completely erasing LGBTQ communities of color, especially those who are part of faith traditions.

Before we allow such racist nonsense to continue, we should ask ourselves a few questions.

First, with such a small sample size, are these numbers statistically significant? Biased crimes based on sexual orientation reported in Wards 7 and 8 rose from seven in 2008 to 10 in 2009. Is an increase of three reported crimes, comparing only two years, enough to warrant what the MPD calls a “marked shift”? While surely even one hate crime is too many, we should be wary of scapegoating these neighborhoods based on such limited data.

Second, are the figures accurate? Wards 7 and 8 are among the most heavily policed areas of the city. Perhaps the higher number of reported crimes is due more to disproportionate policing than disproportionate trans/homophobia.

But even if there are more incidents of anti-LGBTQ violence in Wards 7 and 8, is it reasonable to assume that people in these neighborhoods are “more trans/homophobic,” or are other factors in play? Many hate crimes start off as other crimes, such as muggings. With D.C.’s intense wealth gap, neighborhoods with the highest incidence of homelessness, addiction and other poverty-related problems are also likely to have the highest rate of muggings, theft and property crimes. Focusing on race in discussions about trans/homophobic violence obscures the role of poverty in promoting violence.

Finally, before we call for increased policing we should ask whether having more police on the streets is in anyone’s best interest. D.C. has one of the highest incarceration rates in the country, fed by programs such as the “Prostitution Free Zones” and “All Hands on Deck.” Such policies target marginalized communities like LGBTQ folks, especially poor and low-income young trans women of color. D.C.’s racially skewed prison population – only 2 percent white – underscores that point.

Due to employment discrimination, lack of family support, and insensitive or inadequate social services, LGBTQ people are more likely to end up on the streets, where their survival may depend on criminalized activities like sex work. Combined with police profiling, these factors increase the likelihood that LGBTQ people will be detained, arrested or sent to jail. Jail is a dangerous place for LGBTQ folks, particularly trans women. Many trans women are placed in male facilities, where they are at incredibly high risk of rape and contracting HIV.

We should all be concerned about anti-LGBTQ hate crimes, wherever we live. But we must not jump to dangerous conclusions – like pretending hate crimes only happen in some areas, blaming anti-LGBTQ hate crimes on people of color, or using this as a reason to call for more severe police tactics in those neighborhoods. If we want to stop the violence, we must critically ask how poverty and racism fuel transphobia and homophobia, and strive to develop creative strategies to end all of them.

—————-

Sadie Ryanne Baker lives in Northeast and works with the DC Trans Coalition, a human-rights organization for transgender, transsexual and gender nonconforming communities in D.C. (dctranscoalition.org.)

21 January 2010 at 9:31 am

Love, Honor, Cherish, Attack?

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