It’s the first day of Pride Month, but what should be a time of celebration and visibility for the LGBTQ community is also a time of caution and harsh reminders of the hateful world that surrounds us. A recent report from the Department of Public Safety has revealed that hate crimes have doubled over the past two years — and that members of the LGBTQ community are frequent targets.
KSL Newsradio reports that out of 134 reported hate crimes in 2021, more than 40 of those incidents involved LGBTQ people as victims. These numbers serve as a stark reminder that people who do not identify as straight or cisgender are indeed in direct danger as these hate crime incidents increase across the board. KSL Newsradio also reports that a huge spike of these anti-LGBTQ hate crimes are taking place in the state of Utah — but this is a growing problem across the United States.
Recently, a Washington man pleaded guilty to hate crime related charges after he reportedly set fire to a nightclub frequented by gay people. The man blamed the LGBTQ community for his recent shortcomings in life — such as becoming homeless — and he chose to act violently as a form of vengeance. K-Pop star “Holland” was also recently a victim of a hate crime centered attack.
Pride Month is a good time to spread awareness
While every brand in the world is busy printing rainbow-themed goods for the month, what exactly is being done to shed light on the issues that affect members of the LGBTQ community? The most effortless thing you can do as an individual is to accept LGBTQ people as existent, and as human beings who are worthy of the same rights and protections as everyone else. From there, fighting against oppression and bigotry should come easily. During Pride Month, for instance, spend your dollars on merch that is produced by LGBTQ owned businesses, and with corporations who are known to donate to LGBTQ causes during the rest of the year — and not just the time of the year that makes them the most money, if you know what I mean.
If you’re an ally, use the next 30 days to remind people that members of the LGBTQ community are overwhelmingly targeted in hate crime related incidents. Members of the LGBTQ community are targeted in crimes ranging from vandalism and theft to physical assault, sexual assault and murder on a disturbingly frequent basis. Remind others that these increasing attacks on homosexual and transgender people are due to the lasting stigmas that dehumanize them and unfairly other them from the rest of society. Yes, it is a time to be proud and to celebrate the beauty of the LGBTQ community, but it is also a time to remember those who have fallen unjustly — and to speak out against the bigotry that continues to cause such unnecessary pain in the lives of human beings.
Chelsea Hoffman is a true crime writer with over a decade of professional writing experience. She is best known for her coverage of missing people including the tragic disappearance of Madeleine McCann as well as the heartbreaking cases of Dylan Redwine, Heather Elvis and many others.
