The Triangle Foundation, an LGBT rights organization in Michigan, has issued a new report on anti-gay hate crimes in Michigan. The report examines data from 2,430 LGBT people who reported violence and other instances of harassment to the Triangle Foundation. The group found that there was a 133% increase in physical attacks, harassment, and vandalism since 2007 while overall discrimination was up by 207%. Melissa Pop, Director of Victim Services at the Triangle Foundation, said in a press release announcing the report, “One person suffers anti-LGBT discrimination in Michigan every 29 hours and, of those individuals, one person suffers anti-LGBT violence, vandalism or harassment every 39 hours.”
The report links the rise in anti-LGBT crimes to highly visible political attacks on LGBT people, such as the Michigan Court of Appeals ruling that denies public employers the right to offer domestic partner same sex benefits. Such political attacks create a climate in which anti-LGBT violence and discrimination is seen as acceptable.
