Every day in the United States someone is a victim of a hate crime. These attacks often take the form of verbal harassment but some end in violent assault or death. Recent studies indicate a rise in the number of "bias" or "hate" crimes since 1985. With this increase the issue of hate crime has come into the spotlight all over America. These crimes have been plaguing America for centuries, tearing at the very foundation of this country and destroying neighborhoods and communities. With pressure from the people of the United States, in particular the African American and the gay and lesbian communities, the US government has taken action. In 1990, Congress passed the Hate Crime Statistic Act and the reauthorization of it in 1996. This act requires the Department of justice to compile data on hate crimes. This law helps local, state, and national law enforcement authorities to combine and coordinate their efforts against hate crimes. Congress has defined a hate crime as "a crim!

e in which the defendant intentionally selects a victim, or in the case of property crime, the property that is the object of the crime, because of the actual or perceived race, color, national origin, ethnicity, gen

Many hate groups in the early 20th century were mainly focused on the hatred of African Americans. The civil rights movement and other groups fighting for equality hindered this goal considerably. In the late 20th century the white supremacist movement needed a new enemy. This enemy is gays and lesbians. "Antigay harassment and violence in five major US cities jumped 131 percent from 1990-1991." (Anderson 2). White supremacist groups now blur the lies between the Christian right and white supremacy. With their anti-gay agenda many groups are not only reaching white Christians, but people of all races. This has made the white supremacist groups more powerful and richer than ever. These groups grasp Americans with campaigns against gays in the military and in the media. These groups are able to plant their seeds of hatred in people and nurture it enough for people to take their own actions.

Anderson, George. "Gay-Bashing Is a Hate Crime." Hate Crimes. Ed. Paul

Hate Groups: Opposing Viewpoints. Ed. Tamara Roleff, San Diego; Greenhaven Press, 1999. 77-85.

Hate Groups: Opposing Viewpoints. Ed. Tamara Roleff, San Diego; Greenhaven Press, 1999. 36-39.

Out of all the hate crimes committed against a sexual minority, crimes against gay men are the highest. In a Northeastern University report it was found that "60 percent of hate crimes against gays was not because of sheer hatred but because of the thrill involved with the victimization." (Ross 8) Often, the perpetrators of gay bias hate crimes are trying to impress their friends or prove themselves. This explains why many of the hate crimes against gays are committed by groups of young men. "As one young "gaybasher" explained: "We were trying to be tough to each other. It was like a game of chicken. Someone dared you to do something, and there was no backing down." (8). The second most common perpetrator of hate crimes against gays is those called "reactive offenders. These perpetrators feel like they are answering an attack from their victim. This could be a perceived insult, interracial dating, and integration of a neighborhood. Many times the "reactive offenders" feel that!

Hate crimes are much more likely than other crimes to be acts of brutal violence. Unlike non-hate crime inspired acts, victims of hate crimes are singled out because of their membership in a certain social or racial group. Because the intention of hate crime perpetrators is to hurt or kill, "hate crimes are five times more likely as other crimes to involve assault. And these assaults are twice as likely as other assaults to cause injury and to result in hospitalization." Says Kate Lawson, a hate crime researcher. "The majority of hate crimes are perpetrated by someone the victim knows" (Lawson 3). With factors such as these the victim of a hate crime is not only more likely to be injured physically but also mentally. Being targeted for a crime based on the color of your skin or on your sexual preference is much more damaging than being targeted for wearing an expensive watch or walking down a deserted street alone. "Victims of hate crimes often feel powerless and fearful of th!

Ross, Loretta. "White Supremacists Groups Promote Hate and Violence."

Hate Groups: Opposing Viewpoints. Ed. Tamara Roleff, San Diego; Greenhaven Press, 1999. 17-23.

19 Mar. 2001 *http://www.apa.org/ppo/pi/dunbar.html*

tta Ross, founder of the Center for Human Rights in Atlanta, " He was serious about white rights; he gave them (Louisiana voters) the right to practice kinder, gentler white s

Some common words found in the essay are:
African American, Rights Atlanta, African Americans, Northeastern University, Armstrong Williams, Statistic Act, Statistics Act, San Diego, Shepard Wyoming, Kate Lawson, hate crimes, hate crime, san diego, white supremacist, greenhaven press, diego greenhaven press, diego greenhaven, san diego greenhaven, ed tamara roleff, hate opposing, viewpoints ed, opposing viewpoints, roleff san, viewpoints ed tamara, opposing viewpoints ed,
Approximate Word count = 2384
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)