From: ljyngltf@aol.com Mon Apr 18 08:36:21 1994 HATE CRIMES LAWS: In 1990, the federal government enacted the Hate Crime Statistics Act (HCSA), which requires the FBI to gather statistics on crimes motivated by bias against the victim, including those based on sexual orientation. The FBI has released national statistics collected in 1991 and 1992 under the HCSA. In 1991, the FBI reported that 422 or 8.9% of the 4,755 reported hate crimes in 1991 were committed against lesbians, gay men and bisexuals. Nine hundred and thirty one or 11% of the 8,075 incidents the FBI reported for 1992 were committed against lesbians, gay men or bisexuals. (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1992 & 1994.) In recent years, a growing number of states have passed laws to monitor and counteract crimes motivated by bigotry. Despite a very large body of data to show that anti-gay violence is alarmingly widespread, many hate crime l aws ignore crimes based on sexual orientation. Twenty two states and the District of Columbia and several cities and counties have enacted hate crime legislation that includes crimes based on sexual orientation. The laws vary as to whether they include provisions for statistics collection, criminal penalties, civil penalties and injunctive relief. (Source: Maps and lists of hate crimes laws can be obtained from the NGLTF Policy Institute) The NGLTF Policy Institute Anti-Violence Project helps local communities organize against anti-gay/lesbian violence. It also promotes a strong official response to violence and works to improve the treatment of lesbians and gay men by the criminal justice system. For further information, contact Anti-Violence Project Director Martin Hiraga, (202) 332-6483, ext. 3307. E-mail: .