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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1992)
just out ▼ aprii 1902 ▼ 9 national news THE PET Homophobic hate SET crime report Grim data documents a rising tide of homophobic hate crimes by Katrin Snow WAKING DREAM BOOKS Gay & lesbian Metaphysical Interior design and Architecture • ▼ ay and lesbian organizations around and lesbian individuals,” said Kane. “They rely the country released grim data re on stereotypes of us which therefore lead people cently documenting a rising tide of to believe we should be hated and also therefore homophobic hate crimes. According we should be attacked.” Donna Red Wing, executive director of the to Robin Kane, Public Information Lesbian Manager of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Community Project, charged the Oregon Force Policy Institute, antigay violence around Citizens Alliance with fueling hate crimes in the the nation went up 31 percent in 1991. “As the gay state by mounting a ballot measure campaign that and lesbian community becomes more politically would declare homosexuality perverse and ab active, which is necessary in order to gain civil normal under the Oregon Constitution. rights, ” Kane said, “it also becomes a more v isible “If you believe a person is a danger to your children, it’s easy to hurt that person,” said Red target for those who hate us.” The task force released information on a total Wing. “If you believe a person carries disease and of 1,812 incidents of violence in Five large U.S. pestilence, it’s easy to deny him [or her]. And if cities-New York, Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis/ you believe a person is perverse and abnormal, St. Paul, and San Francisco. Kane says the rise it’s easy to ignore their pain.” According to the police bureau and some doesn’t reflect just higher reporting rates. Al though statistics often jump when new antivio- hotline workers, most perpetrators of hate vio lence programs open, those five cities operate lence are individuals, not organized bigots. But well-established programs. Minneapolis/St Paul Scot Nakagawa, program coordinator for the endured the sharpest rise, a 202 percent increase Coalition for Human Dignity, said white suprema in homophobic violence. cists are responsible for a small, violent, and Portland’s Lesbian Community Project (LCP) influential number of hate crimes. “Organized installed the Homophobic Violence Reporting white supremacists become significant because Lineiast July and in six weeks logged as many they use homophobia to recruit members,” said incidents of homophobic violence as the state of Nakagawa. “Their extreme acts of violence give Oregon reported for the entire year in 1990. The the green light to others with bigoted sentiments.” Homophobic Violence Reporting Line and Docu Red Wing estimated 75 percent of people mentation Project is an effort to document antigay reporting to LCP won’t ever report to the police. and antilesbian crimes that generally have not “I think a lot of that has to do with OCA stuff,” she been reported to the police, largely because of the said. “People don’t want their name on a report long-standing mistrust between the police and the that shows they’re queer.” Fear of being labeled gay community. “gay” in police files, fear they’ll become victims Both Portland’s gay community and its police a second time if employers or others find out department say the Homophobic Violence Re they’re gay, and a history of police disrespect porting Line is helping improve relations between squelch the voices of lesbian and gay crime vic them and will present a more accurate picture to tims. Gays and lesbians are probably the most the public of antigay violence. The numbers frequent targets of hate crime perpetrators, ac indicate that the level of violence in Portland is a cording to a 1987 Justice Department report, but little more than half that in Boston and Chicago. gay-bias crimes, while rapidly rising in numbers, From July through December, there were 83 inci are still vastly underreported nationwide. The dents targeting 114 individuals. Eleven of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force annual perpetrators were women, 80 were men. survey of gay-bias crimes in six major cities Of victims who identified their sexual orienta found a 42 percent increase in 1990over 1989 and tion, there were 48 lesbians, 24 gay men, one six times the number of reports to gay victim bisexual, and one straight woman. Nationwide, assistance organizations as to police. Captain Roberta Webber, who heads the Port of the 2,117 victims of homophobic attacks, 77 percent were men, 21 percent were women, and 2 land Police Bureau’s bias crimes unit, said she knew some people who report to the hotline will percent were gender unknown. LCP’s report includes descriptions of the not report to police and are afraid of what police will do with the information, but said she’s en crimes. A sample: >A white man on a bus started talking about couraged by the number who do. “One day alone “faggots,” how they “could learn a lot from the a couple of weeks ago, I got two phone calls from OCA,” and “I ain’t scared of no fucking faggot." people who had just reported to the hotline and >Two lesbians were harassed by four drunk, called to report to the police bureau, and that’s loud heterosexual men, who said, “You look like very encouraging.” Webber said general information from the a big fucking dyke to me, you make me sick, you fucking dyke,” and loudly talked about their pe- hotline can be helpful to police, even without nises. One grabbed his penis and pissed on the having a victim report, by letting them know if areas of town become frequent locations of antigay sidewalk. >Two gay men were accosted by two hetero attacks. The report includes eight charges of inad sexual men who said, “You’re fags, aren’t you?” equate police response and one incident of verbal and then began hitting them, knocking one to the abuse by a police officer. Webber said the charges would be investigated. ground. Lesbian and gay activists said fighting the >A woman riding a bike was harassed by four heterosexual men in a car. “Is that a man or a violence means that politicians have to speak out dyke? Does she have tits and a pussy? Let’s see!” in support of civil rights statutes and hate crimes Two of the men then got out of the car and chased laws including sexual orientation. Currently, qply five states and 90 cities or counties include her until she lost them by going into a park. Kane said antigay political campaigns and sexual orientation in civil rights statutes. Twenty homophobia in the nation’s culture fuel hate states, including Oregon, and about 11 cities or crimes. 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