Hate Violence Against Gays

According to The Leadership Conference, in 2007, the amount of hate crimes committed against homosexuals reached as high as 1,265, and they became the “third most frequent target of hate violence over the past decade.” In 2007, a man was fatally beaten outside of a bar in Greenville, South Carolina—he was openly gay. In 2008, a 28-year-old woman was raped by four men in Richmond, California—she was openly gay. Again, in 2008, a 15-year-old boy was shot twice in the head by a fellow classmate in Oxnard, California—he was openly gay. In all of those cases of hate crimes, offensive words were used to mock their homosexuality.