Erasing the hate

   David Bishop finished up in the office, gathered his things and began walking to his car.

   “I realized there was a guy following closely behind me, talking to himself about this white faggot walking in front of him. Saying how this faggot likes to f--- guys and how I was going to get f---ed by his knife. By the time I go to my car he was gone,” Bishop said.

   Director of UCI’s LGBT Resource Center, Bishop is one of thousands of gays and lesbians who have experienced an act of violence or harassment as a result of their sexual preference. Like many, he also failed to report the incident, feeling that nothing would be done by law enforcement.

   Hate crimes against gays were down from 14 in 2007 to 11 in 2008, according the Orange County Hate Crime Report.

   “When we look at the numbers, it’s nice to see the slight decrease. When we see one crime based on who they are, what they do, what they believe in, is unacceptable. As law enforcement, it’s important that we connect with and care for these victims,” David L. Maggard, Irvine Chief of Police said.

   However, the numbers can be misleading. Many victims of hate crimes do not report their attacks, especially within the gay community. Many gay hate crime victims don’t report incidents because of doubts that the police can or will help.

   “Think of the kid in high school who everyone teased and called ‘queer.’ No one helped him, no one stepped up. With that experience, the LGBT community grows up and learns no one will come to your aid. That’s why we are so hugely underrepresented,” Bishop said.

   Hate crime legislation is taking steps to further protect the gay community. The Matthew Shepard Act, named for the Laramie, Wyo. man who was tortured to death in 1996 because he was gay, was passed by the Judiciary Committee in April. The bill would expand the Defense Reauthorization Bill, which, currently, only protects victims who are targeted because of race, color religion and national origin while engaging in a federally-protected activity, like voting or attending school. The bill would amend Federal Hate Crime law so that gender and gender identity are grounds to investigate a bias-motivated crime.

   “Many of these crimes are difficult to report. When addressing hate, we have to change the way we view and define it,” Bishop said. 

Many also fail to report incidents of violence due to a fear of being outed. Many victim assistance centers offer help without having to contact family or the police, though they do recommend involving law enforcement.

   “Protocol dictates how hate crimes or hate incidents are reported. That sharing of information is anonymous,” Dr. Kevin O’Grady, Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League said.

   Still, members of the gay community have doubts about some police. Gay activists claim it is attributed to personal bias, though all police officers are trained to leave that at the door when at work.

   “I’ve been chased on the freeway, I’ve had things thrown at me, I’ve been called a faggot. Most recently, my partner and I opened our front door on a Sunday morning to find 12 perfectly stacked, empty bullet casings on our doorstep. We called the police and all they said was ‘what do you want us to do?’” Bishop said, “Reporting it doesn’t do anything.”

   “It’s a particularly heinous form of crime because it’s perpetrated against people because of who they are. Like the Japanese saying that goes ‘The nail that stands up is the one that gets smashed down,’ the more of us that stand up, the more difficult it will be to smash down,” O’Grady said.