Colorado - Today, the Colorado Anti-Violence Program released its annual report on violence against lesbians, gay men, bisexual people and transgender individuals. The report is a joint project with the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs and fifteen of its member agencies across the country. The 90-page report examines data compiled from almost 2,000 hate-related incidents in eleven cities, states and regions across the country: the Chicago area, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, Colorado, Houston, Texas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, the New York City area, Pennsylvania and the San Francisco Bay area. Additional information was included from Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri, Tucson, Arizona and Vermont.

NCAVP's report is the most complete examination of such violence against LGBT people. Each year, the FBI publishes its own report on hate crimes, which includes anti-LGBT incidents, but it consistently contains information on far fewer cases than the NCAVP publication because it relies on law enforcement reports of such crimes rather than victim service organization data.

Overall, Colorado logged a 21% increase in numbers of victims of anti-LGBT bias reporting to the CAVP, from 129 in 2003 to 155 in 2004. This marks a greater increase locally than the national average for NCAVP, which logged a 4% increase in victims, from 2,042 in 2003 to 2,131 in 2004.

There were several significant changes in reports to CAVP in 2004. Reports of serious injuries to victims stayed the same, while victims reporting no injuries or minor injuries increased significantly. However, hospitalization of victims also increased 50%, while victims needing but not receiving medical attention increased 40%. In 2004, the CAVP documented decreases in the use of all kinds of weapons, except for firearms, which increased (from 0 to 3). Overall, reports of assaults decreased 34% in 2004. Most significantly, assault with a weapon decreased 50%. Incidents occurring at a school/college, and in the workplace rose sharply (+700%).

Incidents of Intimidation increased 300%. Other increases happened in the areas of Discrimination (4 to 11) and Vandalism (2 to 22). There was a small decrease (-20%) in reports of sexual assault/rape. Mail and literature harassment increased 400%, continuing the trend of homophobic hate mail that has targeted Denver metro area LGBT people and their allies for over four years. Telephone harassment also increased 400%. Reports of LGBT organizations targeted for hate incidents increased dramatically (+567%).

According to CAVP representatives, the data collected for 2004 confirms that a dramatic rise in anti-LGBT hate incidents noted by the organization in the second half of 2003 continued unabated, and perhaps even worsened throughout 2004.

"This year's report has to be read in the context of our previous reports, particularly as a follow-up to 2003," said Avy Skolnik, CAVP's Program Director. "These findings indicate that LGBT communities and individuals across the U.S. are experiencing tremendous increases in violence and targeting at levels not seen in previous years. There is no indication that this dangerous pattern is reversing or even slowing,” continued Skolnik.

CAVP's report on hate violence in 2003 noted a 133% spike in numbers of incidents between June through December of 2003, as the nation responded politically and violently to such victories for the community as the striking down of sodomy laws across the country and the right for same-sex couples to marry in Massachusetts. The 2004 report looks at the continuation of that atmosphere, which lasted through numerous anti-lesbian and gay state ballot initiatives, a Presidential call for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, and the demonization of lesbians and gay men in particular in the 2004 election cycle.

"Frankly, given that so many of our members are managing tremendous and sustained increases in caseloads at the same time that they're seeing local, state and federal resources diminish we find it astounding that the commitment of local anti-violence programs compels them to continue to keep their doors open, continue to keep their hotlines staffed and continue to be there when our communities are clearly so desperately in need,” noted Clarence Patton, Acting Executive Director for the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. “After all, this report is merely a picture of what the damage looks like on the ground when war is declared on a community by some of the most powerful forces in our nation," concluded Patton.

The data in the report is submitted to NCAVP for analysis and derived from a common intake tool NCAVP's members utilize when directly serving victims of violence at their agencies, which are primarily local LGBT victim service organizations like the CAVP.

PDF versions of the 2004 Report, its Executive Summary, and previous editions of CAVP's reports on hate-motivated and domestic violence are available at www.coavp.org.

For additional information, please call 303.839.5204.

The Colorado Anti-Violence Program is dedicated to ending violence within and against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities of Colorado and to ensuring the highest quality services are provided to survivors of hate, domestic, sexual and enforcement violence.