FBI statistics: Hate crimes based on anti-LGBT bias increased in 2011

Statistics released Monday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation showed a slight decline in the total number of hate crimes in 2011 when compared with the previous year, although the number of hate crimes based on the victim’s sexual orientation continued to increase.

According to the FBI, 6,222 criminal incidents involving 7,254 offenses were reported in 2011 as a result of bias toward a particular race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity/national origin, or physical or mental disability.

Among those figures, law enforcement agencies reported 1,508 hate crime offenses based on sexual-orientation bias in 2011, compared to 1,470 offenses in 2010 — the total accounts for 20.8 of the hate crimes reported.

Of these offenses:

• 57.8 percent were classified as anti-male homosexual bias;
• 28.4 percent were reported as anti-homosexual bias;
• 11.1 percent were prompted by an anti-female homosexual bias;
• 1.5 percent were classified as anti-bisexual bias;
• 1.1 percent were the result of an anti-heterosexual bias.;  Read More