FBI: Hate crimes dropped slightly in '04

The FBI has released hate crime statistics for 2004 that show a slight decrease in violence against LGBT victims, but a national anti-violence group questions the report's accuracy.

According to the FBI, 15.6 percent of the hate crimes of 2004 were directed against the victims' perceived sexual orientation. In 2003, crimes motivated by sexual orientation made up 16.4 percent of the nation's hate crimes. In 2002 it was 16.7 percent.

The report claims in 2004 there was 1,197 incidents of sexual orientation hate crimes with 1,482 victims. In 2003, there were 1,239 incidents of hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation with 1,479 victims. In 2002 the FBI reported 1,244 incidents of similar hate crimes with 1,513 victims.

Of the 1,482 victims, 61 percent were targeted because they were male homosexuals. Anti-lesbian attacks accounted for 14 percent of the attacks. Attacks made on homosexuals at large accounted for 20 percent of the attacks. Anti-bisexual violence accounted for 1 percent, while attacks against heterosexuals made up 2 percent of the recorded data.

http://www.planetout.com/news/article.html?date=2005/10/18/1