Hate crimes against minority communities and the LGBTQ+ community have surged in the United States, according to a new report by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The report, which was released on Monday, reveals an 11.6% increase in hate crimes in 2021, with the largest number of hate crimes motivated by bias against Black people. Hate crimes targeting victims based on their ethnicity, sexuality, and religion were also prevalent.
The FBI’s report shows that reported hate crime incidents rose to 9,065 in 2021, from 8,120 in 2020. Of these hate crime incidents, 64.5% targeted victims based on their race, ethnicity, or ancestry bias, 15.9% targeted victims because of sexual orientation, and 14.1% targeted victims based on their religion. The report further revealed that 2,233 incidents were motivated by anti-African American bias, and over half of the religion-based hate crimes in 2021 targeted Jewish people.
The FBI report also highlights that 543 incidents targeted gay males and 415 incidents involved members of the broader LGBTQ+ community. Hate crimes targeting Hispanics totaled 433 incidents, while 305 such incidents targeted Asians. These figures indicate a concerning trend of hate crimes against minority communities in the United States.
In response to the report, Attorney General Merrick Garland has made it a top priority for the Justice Department to enforce hate crime laws. In 2021, the Justice Department expanded funding and resources to states and municipalities to help track and investigate hate crimes. Additionally, prosecutors were ordered to step up both criminal and civil investigations into hate crime incidents.
While the FBI’s report marks the first time the bureau has been able to confidently report national hate crimes trends since transitioning to a new data collection system, the report confirms that hate crimes have reached “record high levels” in 2021. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which collects its own criminal and non-criminal data on acts of hate against Jewish people, counted a total of 2,717 antisemitic incidents in 2021—the highest figure since the ADL began tracking such data in 1979.
The surge in hate crimes against minority communities, particularly the LGBTQ+ community, is a reminder that hate and discrimination continue to pose a significant threat in the United States. It is vital for law enforcement agencies and communities to work together to combat hate-motivated violence and ensure that minority communities are protected and treated with dignity and respect.