Number of Victims Increases Dramatically; Incidents Spike in Last Six Months of 2003

Legislative Climate Contributes to Backlash Institutionalized Homophobia Creates Barriers for Victims Denver – The Colorado Anti-Violence Program, in conjunction with the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP), announced the release of its 8th annual report on violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. NCAVP’s report is the most definitive such publication on anti-LGBT hate violence in the nation.

Statewide statistics documenting incidents of violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people by NCAVP members agencies during 2003 are included in the report. "This report examines in detail the trends, and highlights the concerns, of violence affecting the LGBT community in Colorado," commented Carter Klenk, Program Director with the Colorado Anti-Violence Program who prepared the statistics.

The Colorado Anti-Violence Program released early information from the report on March 9, 2004 that showed a 133% increase in hate crimes against the LGBT community during the last half of 2003 over the same period during 2002.

"While many of the issues facing LGBT communities in Colorado are at the extreme, at heart they mirror what communities across the nation are experiencing," noted Clarence Patton, Acting Executive Director of the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. "There can be no doubt that for the last 10 months LGBT communities have been increasingly under siege even as we move ever closer to full equality – in fact, this siege is occurring because we are so visibly moving toward full equality," concluded Patton.

Information on incidents, offenders, victims and law enforcement response in Chicago, Cleveland, Colorado, Columbus (OH), Connecticut, Los Angeles, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania and San Francisco is included in the report.

For eighteen years the Colorado Anti-Violence Program has been dedicated to eliminating violence within and against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities of Colorado, and ensuring the highest quality services are provided to victims of bias-motivated, domestic, sexual and enforcement violence.

The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs addresses the pervasive problem of violence committed against and within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and HIV-positive communities. NCAVP is a coalition of programs that document and advocate for victims of anti-LGBT and anti-HIV/AIDS violence/harassment, domestic violence, sexual assault, police misconduct and other forms of victimization.