This year, there are a lot of bills in U.S. state legislatures that affect LGBTQ communities
After rainbow crosswalks were vandalized and there were protests at public libraries, schools, and LGBTQ community events in Alberta, the RCMP and Calgary police say they’ve seen more hate crimes against the community.
Between January 1 and the middle of July, Calgary police looked at 156 files to see if they were motivated by hate. They say they’ve seen a shift from crimes motivated by race to crimes that target sexual orientation and gender.
“In the last seven months, or since the beginning of the year, we’ve seen a rise in hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender, especially against transgender people,” said Senior Const. Matt Messenger, the hate crimes coordinator for the Calgary Police Service.
Messenger, who looks over all possible hate crimes and incidents reported to Calgary police, said that hate crimes are often about politics. For example, there were more hate crimes against Asian communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.When Russia first moved into Ukraine, people from both sides of the conflict reported incidents.
More recently, there have been across CanadaObjections to drag queens reading to kids, stand-offs on Access to care that fits their gender, and public rows about Pride flags.
At local libraries, people protested the drag queen story times in Calgary, which were called “Reading with Royalty.”Charges of crimes based on hate for one man.
“I think Reading with Royalty events and some of the drag shows I’ve seen around the city have gotten a lot more attention. “It’s also happening all over the country,” Messenger said.
He said that it seems like the number of hate crimes at library events has gone down since charges were brought.
“We’re still seeing protests, but they’re getting less aggressive,” he said.”I would say less criminal activity.”
After incidents of vandalism against rainbow sidewalks and murals in Okotoks, Alberta, and Ponoka, Alberta, as well as protests against public libraries, schools, and LGBTQ community events, the Alberta RCMP asked people to report any behavior they think might be a hate crime.
Brie Vuong is the community engagement coordinator for the LGBTQ support group Calgary Outlink. Since the beginning of 2023, she has seen more people who have been discriminated against reach out to the group for peer support.
She also said that some of the requests for help have been linked to anti-trans laws in the U.S.
“Many of the people who come in say they are afraid to go out in public or face discrimination. This could be because of real or imagined threats of violence. “I’ve found that being in the community and meeting other people in the community really helps,” she said.
There have been hundreds of anti-trans bills in the U.S
Irfan Chaudhry, who lives in Alberta and studies hate crimes and started theStop Hate AB website, said that it’s possible that police are taking hate crimes more seriously than they did in the past. He also said that strong anti-LGBTQ attitudes that are growing in the U.S. could be a factor.
This year, dozens of bills affecting the rights of two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people have been introduced in U.S. state legislatures.
And Chaudhry pointed out that the discussions have become very visible online, which may make people feel more confident.
“I think people who were usually quiet and didn’t say or do much may feel more confident to act now that they are getting more pushback in both online and offline spaces,” he said.
Helen Kennedy, the executive director of Egale Canada, said that what’s happening in Alberta is not unique.
“People are walking around openly showing how much they hate in public, which is new for us in Canada. “We’re not used to seeing violence like that,” Kennedy said.
“So it’s getting worse. It’s not pleasant. You don’t feel safe going out, especially if you’re a trans person, because you don’t know how people in your community will react to you.
This year, Egale Canada made a report public.On the thousands of anti-LGBTQ protests and instances of online hate the group has tracked in Canada in the first three months of 2023.
The report said that it was started because of a “rising tide of hate in this country that can no longer be ignored.”
Kennedy said that students and young people have been among those who have spoken out the most.
In recent months, there has been a lot of talk about gender-related policies in schools.. In Ottawa, people protested and counter-protested at schools on opposite sides of the issue of how to teach gender identity. At least one school was locked down for the whole day.
She also said that the real number of hate crimes is probably underreported and may not show how much hate the community faces.
Messenger, a police officer in Calgary, said that fighting hate is everyone’s job, and he urged people to report actions that could be considered hate crimes.
“Everyone must work together to make society safe. “It’s wrong, and no one should fall for it,” he said.