...Hate Crimes against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Individuals Marcy Ross University of Phoenix Homosexuality is accepted more today; nonetheless, there are still a number of hate crimes being committed against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals. A prime example of such hate was proven on October 6, 1998 when Matthew Shepard was robbed, pistol whipped and tortured because of his sexuality. On October 12, 1998 at 12:53a Matthew died, this proved to the world that hate could manifest from such ignorance and cause such a horrific tragedy. Mason states, “everyone should be outraged by the murder of Matthew Shepard—not because he was gay, but because he was a human being (1993). For the past decade, because of sexual orientation, lesbians and gay men have been consistently the third most frequent target of hate violence, and this has not heightened only fear, but also insecurity among the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. According to The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, violent crimes against people in the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community rose 13% in 2010 and that minorities and transgender women were more likely to be targeted. The increase is believed to be against this group because of their sexual orientation, gender or HIV positive status. Some believe hate crimes increase after attacks that become high-profile or when an individual of the LGBT community civil rights are debated...
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...do about bias except to wait for this generation to die off and a new one to come along.” Even a man as erudite as broadcaster Edward Murrow believed we could never rid ourselves of biases; we could only learn to work around them. (Thiederman, p.3) I don’t agree, after reading this chapter, I truly believe that if we make an effort to become aware of how to identify bias attitudes we can make a difference, no matter how small. I was surprised how common biases attitudes are, I would have never thought that some of the things we say or do are definitely out of line. I myself am guilty of some of these biases. Here is one example: I used to say all “Chinese people pretend not to speak English”. In the news very often I hear and see hate crimes motivated by bias behaviors against someone because of their race, gender, origin, sexual orientation, or disability. The amazing point that is most important to understand others as their own person. These characteristics are important to our understanding but should not limit how we look at others. At the end of the day, every human being has a set of experiences and value that make them who they are. “We must give the rational part of our brains a chance to get in gear before reacting instinctively To someone who is different from ourselves” (Thiederman,...
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...humans are born with, it is a behavior that is taught and bred into people. In most cases this act of instilling hate is incepted during child hood, by a parent or a close relative. In some cases people who breathe hatred may have been introduced to this way of thinking out of their household by close friends or acquaintances. In either case this way of thinking has caused a strain on intercultural relationships in past years and it stills haunts our current society. The Deep South still wreaks the singe of racial discrimination, it seems the further south you travel the more you can experience or hear about how prevalent racism still is in these areas. It is always bad when the common citizens have this mentality; however when your judicial system is comprised of individuals who still embrace this thought pattern, then you really have to ask yourself who can you trust ?or who can you even turn to? when the officers that are suppose to up hold the laws are tainted along with the laws that are suppose to govern the land. It is apparent that the governing body of the United States places racial issues on the back burner; it seems to me that the government will only address certain issues if media attention warrants it. There is no excuse why all laws are not equivalent throughout the United States; each state currently has different laws to govern the same crimes. If there is one governing body why are the laws not the same every where? The recent incident that took place...
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...Ryan Batista Casey Lukenbill SOCIOLOGY 1 TWTH 4:10-6:50 P.M. 2/3/2011 Violent Crimes in Society Deviance is the contravention of what society sees as normal. Crime is one of the main problems within deviance that society faces on a daily basis. One specific type of crime that many are affected by is violent crime. This type of crime ranges from minor traffic violations to murder. Violent crimes in the United States affect society domestically, personally, and sexually. One type of violent crime that affects men and woman is domestic violence. According to Professor Lukenbill’s lecture, domestic violence used to be a major dilemma that many would be scared to express freely, but because of how strict society has become on the issue, it is slowly declining. For example, stricter laws have taken a threshold on cutting down unnecessary abuse. The authorities did not take this issue as seriously as they did then as they do now. The police would merely show up, ask what was wrong, and leave the premises. Presently, the police now have to arrest the suspect of the abuse without further notification. The arresting takes place in order to ensure the safety of the victimized spouse. Also, this is an example of how the law is stricter than ten years ago. Another reason for the decline of domestic abuse is the wider variety of job opportunities that women have today. In fact, since women now have more employment opportunities, they can fend for themselves and not feel...
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...Abstract This paper will provide a definition and history of victimology as well as give examples of real life victims. Second, this paper will discuss how victimology is different from criminology, sociology and psychology. This paper will also discuss hate crimes, the first safe house for battered women, children’s rights groups. Finally, this paper will also discuss organizations that provide advocacy for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse and homicides. Introduction to Victimology Victimology is the study of victims of crime and the interactions between the victim and the perpetrator (victimology, 2006). Victimology is to investigate the victims role in the commission of crimes and sometimes the psychological effect those crimes have on the victims (victimology, 2007). Today’s criminal justice system is a fairly new appearance, in the middle ages victims themselves were responsible for dealing with criminals on their own as there were no authorities to enforce the law. Murder has always been unacceptable behavior, but it was always up to the victims or their survivors to determine the course of action to be taken against the person committing the crime. In 2200 B.C.E. was when Law of Moses, the Code of Hammurabi and Roman law all consisted of elements to individual responsibility for harms committed against others (Doerner & Lab, 2008). It was until the 1940’s that the criminal justice system decided to not only focus their time in...
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...because of it. Who do you confide in now? Imagine if you have no gay friends that truly understand what you are going through. Then you have everyone around finding out and picking on you making things worse. People can be seriously cruel and not care about their actions. The case in Oxford, CA with Lawrence King, 15, is a tragedy. He was in middle school and announced to his class that he was gay in front of his classmates. It takes a lot of nerve to be who you are as a person and not care what other people think. That’s what Lawrence did and because of that, classmate, Brandon McInerney, decided to shoot him in school because he was gay. (Cathcart. 2008). “Prosecutors charged Brandon as an adult with murder as a premeditated hate crime and gun possession. If convicted, he faces a sentence of 52 years to life in prison.” (Cathcart. 2008). My guess is...
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...What are you thoughts on the question are hate crimes considered thought crimes? According to WIKIPEDIA, “A thought crime is an occurrence or instance of controversial or socially unacceptable thoughts. The term is also used to describe some theological concepts such as disbelief or idolatry or a rejection of strong social or philosophical principles.” Also according to WIKIPDIA, “In both crime and law, hate crimes (also known as bias-motivated crimes, or race hate) occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group. Examples of such groups include but are not limited to: racial group, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity or gender identity. Hate crime is a category used to describe bias-motivated violence: "assault, injury, and murder on the basis of certain personal characteristics: different appearance, different color, different nationality, different language, and different religion." "Hate crime" generally refers to criminal acts that are seen to have been motivated by bias against one or more of the types above, or of their derivatives. Incidents may involve physical assault, damage to property, bullying, harassment, verbal abuse or insults, or offensive graffiti or letters (hate mail). A hate crime law is a law intended to prevent bias-motivated violence. Hate crime laws are distinct from laws against hate speech in that hate crime laws enhance the penalties associated with conduct that is already criminal...
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...Hate Crime: A Rising Problem Hate Crime can be defined as a perpetrator deliberately targeting a victim because of his or her believed membership in a certain social group, usually defined by race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, or political affiliation. In the US the Hate Crimes Statistics Act (1990) requires for the recording of an event as a ‘hate crime’ that there is ‘manifest evidence of prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation or ethnicity and requires recording officers to complete a 14-point checklist involving a great deal of subjectivity and requiring tacit knowledge of the offences by the recording officer’ (Jacobs, 2003). Some groups such as blacks, Jews, and homosexuals are the most targeted for biased based violent crime but are protected by certain state and federal laws while other groups such as transgendered people are not protected by any law. In the film Soldier’s Girl we meet a young man plagued by the ignorance of a society unwilling to accept a person with non-traditional sexual orientation into the bravado of the Army Infantry. This is an instance far too familiar for many people who make the choice to have a non-traditional way of life. The story of Barry Winchell and Capernia is a direct correlation as to how homosexuals as well as transgendered individuals are treated by society today. The debate on whether being homosexual is a choice or a trait a person is born with...
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...Ethics Exercise 5.1 The ways that hate crime legislation threatens to be divisive in our society according to David A. Reidy. The legislation gives certain people the notion that more rights are given to some rather than others. If it is compared to the days when there was slavery and the civil rights movements, African Americans were limits on what rights they had as to the rights that they didn’t have. This created a separation of people across the nation. As to this case, how do you determine if it’s a hate crime or not? Some people seem to think that if a white guy assaults a black guy, or vice versa that it is a hate crime. People seem to think that this is because of their skin color and do not understand the true meaning of “Hate Crime”. The problems come about when you have a case where 2 white guys assaulting each other and the final judgment differs from the original crime between a white guy and a black guy when in fact it is the same exact assault crime. This is what makes it so hard to determine if it is a hate crime or not, every aspect has to be examined very closely. Hate crimes in our country involve a lot more than just skin color, it involves race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or something that differs from ones beliefs. In our society what one group believes or views may differ from what another group believes or views and this is where a lot of hate crimes come from. This is what makes this topic so diverse, not everyone...
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...looks at hate crimes as a projection of community theory regarding the media's role in shaping public thought and how society views the crimes as whites against nonwhites event. Since there is little reliable data regarding hate crimes, interracial homicides were used to generate statistics on this study. The study concludes that nonwhite on white crimes are more common than white on nonwhite, and to some extent, nonwhite on nonwhite. Homicide (is?) perpetrated by nonwhite against white. The terms "hate violence and hate crimes" first appeared in the Final Report of the Attorney General's Commission on Racial, Ethnic, Religious and Minority Violence issued in April 1986. It defined hate violence to be any act of intimidation, harassment, physical force or threat of physical force directed against any person or their property or advocate. (Run-on sentence) It is motivated either in whole or in part by hostility to their real or perceived race, ethnic background, religious belief, sex, age, disability, or sexual orientation, with the intention of causing fear or intimidation or to deter the deterrence of free exercise or enjoyment of any rights or privileges secured by the Constitution whether or not performed under color of law. (http://www.cahro.org/html/definition.html) There is much historical evidence showing such violence is perpetrated by whites against non-whites. History has played a major role in influencing our way of thinking when it comes to hate crimes. Historical...
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...are loud and obnoxious. This might fit some individuals characteristics but it would be stereotyping the whole group if stating everyone of that age or race acted or did the same things. * From Ch. 3 of Racial and Ethnic Groups, describe at least one cause of discrimination and one effect of it. There are multiple reasons why one might be discriminated against it could be there genger, race, beliefs, sexual origin, or their age. These types of reasons would used to prevent people from participing in activities with others or from getting employment. One cause of discrimination is Hate Crimes. Hate Crimes are when offenders are motivated to choose a victim because of some characteristic—for example, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or disability—and provide evidence that hatred prompted them to commit the crime. Hate crimes also are sometimes referred to as bias crimes. Because of this many effects can happen. The most prominate effect is that many innocent people...
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...Hate speech is nothing new to American universities. It is defined as language that slanders a particular group based on race, color, gender, nationality, as well as other characteristics. Though colleges try to combat hate speech with speech codes, these codes are never upheld in court, and as a result the victims are left to suffer. Sadly, most victims are minorities who have been historically oppressed, such as African Americans and women. In order to help the minorities targeted by hate speech on college campuses, the sufferers must be empowered to speak out through the creation of a national organization and eventually the Supreme Court must rule that the freedom of speech does not include hate speech. An increase of hate speech on college...
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...Amanda Rizzo Professor Strong English 102 GA 10/18/16 Hate Crimes Throughout America there are several problems that take place due to hate crimes. Hate crime is a crime motivated by racial, sexual, or other prejudice, typically one involving violence. Hate crimes take place all over America for several reasons such as, your religion, your race and your ethnicity. There were several hate crimes that took place throughout the United States, but the few that really caught my eye were, James Byrd who was an african american male who was murdered. Also Laramie, where a gay guy was brutally beaten to his death. Hate crime does not only just impact the family of the victim but also affects the people around them. James Byrd was a victim of hate crime....
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...Hate speech is highly prevalent in American culture, especially in our youth today. I believe this to be because of the desensitization of those that grew up during the 90’s and the fact that the concept of words are always changing. For example, I recall many kids using the word “gay” and the more derogatory version of it to signify that something is foolish or uninteresting. This constant misuse of the word desensitized many to the word and as the meaning of the word changed and that it was used in more literal contexts, as well, resulted in the abuse of the word. I do not perceive many situations that allow hate speech to flourish but I can see some immensely rare circumstances such as in the context of war on foreign soil. The textbook...
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...first understand what a hate crime is. What is a hate crime? Congress has defined a hate crime as a "criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender's bias against a race, religion, disability, ethnic origin or sexual orientation." (Federal Bureau of Investigation) On October 22, 2009 Congress passed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act and on the 28th President Obama signed it into law. It added to the 1969 United States federal hate-crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. To create a profile of someone who may commit a hate crime we have to look at the psychology of the offender. Knowing what motivated the crime is the first step in preventing future hate crimes and helps in teaching ways to prevent them from happening. Hate crime offenders usually have adolescent issues. No one theory explains all evil behavior; numerous variables, including social, psychological, biological, and genetic factors, are involved in a dynamic interplay that results in evil behavior. (psychiatryonline) A link between at risk teens and their lack of the fulfillment of basic needs being meet has been linked by Young-Bruehl’s psychoanalytical approach. A typical youth who feels rejected and isolated from family and friends will use hatred to cover for their feelings of not measuring up. Beck also feels as though hate is a cognitive problem...
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