Two weeks ago, Tim Beauchamp wrote a post about a new report from the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) about the rise in Hate Crimes against the LGBT community in 2010.
Today, NCAVP's study is profiled in USAToday. And, there's an analysis of why crimes have increased:
This rise is no surprise to Suzanna Walters, professor of gender studies at Indiana University and author of All the Rage: The Story of Gay Visibility in America.Yep. More work to be done.
Walters says that ongoing homophobia is hidden because of increased visibility of support for the LGBT community, including New York's legalizing same-sex marriage and the repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
"These positive changes are very real, there is no doubt about it, but the more visible you are as a community the more vulnerable you are, too," she says. "There is a protection in the closet, as awful as that is. Real homophobia with violent outcomes is not a thing of the past and there is much more work to be done."
