Seeking an end to gay demonization -- that's a true 'family policy'

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07/18/2007

by Jeremy Hooper

So the Family Policy Network thinks they have found an ace in their anti-hate crimes legislation hole. In their quest to discredit the need for protections for LGBT individuals, they are working the idea that it is actually GAYS who are the biggest threat to other gays. Here is their logic:

Fpn Data

So basically, they are saying that since domestic violence incidents were found to be higher by NCAVP, then gay relationships are what are truly unstable. And in an interview with One News Now, FPN's Je Glover even suggests that if gays are at risk, "it is because people who are also engaging in homosexual conduct are harming them -- at a rate almost two-and-a-half times that by heterosexuals."

Sounds convincing, right? Only problem -- IT'S DUPLICITOUS BULLSHIT!

Why do we say that? Well, consider this:

The CDC estimates that every year, nearly 5.3 million incidents of intimate partner violence (IPV) occur among U.S. women ages 18 and older, and 3.2 million occur among men. However, here are the FBI's total reported hate crime incidents from past years:

2005: 7,163
2004: 7,649
2003: 7,489

So clearly, there is a HUGE DISPARITY between reported incidents of intimate partner violence (of any sexual orientation) and reported incidents of hate crimes (of any bias motivation)! And it makes perfect sense that this would be the case. People, by and large, partner off. By the sheer numbers of couples in existence, there are far more opportunities for violence to arise than there are in terms of isolated acts of hate specifically committed because of another's actual or perceived qualities or states of being. So in actuality, you could say that over a period of any number of years, ANYONE is XX% more likely to be a victim of a partner than of a random bias-motivated attacker!

But here's the thing: We would like nothing more than to curb incidents of demotic violence as well!! In fact, we (And most gay activists) are very much in support of ramping up various domestic violence laws! But this isn't a game of "which crime is worse?" We are currently focusing on bias-motivated incidents of violence against LGBT people, which are a problem, even if there are less victims than in domestic violence situations. ONE VICTIM IS ONE TOO MANY!

Considering the clear epidemic of IPV in this country, should we start warning heterosexual women that "the lifestyle they so proudly lead" could result "in the very bodily harm and early mortality that they supposedly fear"? Well no, of course not. We just instead work to end violence in EVERY form. The proposed legislation would be one small step towards solving the overall problem.

FPN “Hate Crimes” Policy Paper Statistics Supplement [FPN]

Technorati Tags: Family Policy Network, hate crimes