Survey: Violence Against Gays May Have Risen

Attacks against gays resulting in serious injuries are up across the country and in Massachusetts, despite an apparent decline in the overall number of attacks against gays, a recently released study said.

The report, released by the National Coalition of Anti-violence Programs (NCAVP), looked at incidents of violence or harassment towards gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons in 1998.

However, an official at the agency that collected the data for Massachusetts cautioned funding cuts and incomplete collection made the entire set of results somewhat suspect.

In fact, the reported decrease in over-all violence and harassment may indicate a trend opposite from the reality of the situation.

"We found locally in Massachusetts that there was a 13 percent increase [over 1997] in serious injuries reported that victims suffered," said David M. Shannon of the Violence Recovery Program (VRP) at the Fenway Community Health Center in Boston.

Shannon's office administers the NCAVP's data collection in Massachusetts.

Shannon said these attacks in Massachusetts have included incidents where victims were kicked to the ground, slashed with bottles and beaten with steel poles.

Shannon said the total number of incidents of violence or harassment against gays decreased by 36 percent over 1997's figures in Massachusetts.

However, he said this was more likely caused by underreporting than by an actual decline in violence.

Shannon attributed the decrease in reported incidents to a lack of funding for reporting programs at the state's schools and colleges.

These contributed 25 percent of the survey date in the general harassment category in 1997. Shannon said funding cuts meant schools did not report any data this year.

"There's a difference between what's reported and what's actually happening in Massachusetts, "he said.

"The attacks are getting more dangerous," he added.

The head of a gay and lesbian legal defense group said the statistics should be taken seriously.

"The severity of the harm is going up," said Gary D. Buseck, executive director of Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD), located in Boston.

The co-chair of the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender and Supporters' Alliance (BGLTSA) at Harvard agreed that the attacks have grown more violent in recent years.

"There's been so much truly horrendous crime against gay people in recent months that you'd have to be pretty naive to be surprised" by the increase in serious injuries reported, said Adam A. Sofen '01, who is also a Crimson editor.

"Obviously I find it very troubling that we find these kind of statistics even in a liberal place like Massachusetts," Sofen added.

According to the NCAVP, national numbers mirror the rend in Massachusetts. Nationwide, the number of serious injuries to gays resulting from attacks increased by 12 percent while the number of incidents of violence of harassment against gays decreased by 4 percent.

The data for the NCAVP's national report was gathered from 16 nationwide tracking programs.

Incidents are not reported for various reasons, Shannon said.

"It's important that people report what's happening to them, "Shannon said. The VRP provides services, community education and reassures victims that "they're not crazy," Shannon said.

"It's important that we have adequate statistics on the violence that is occurring in our state," he said.

Citing the fact that there were only 16 nationwide tracking programs, Shannon said it was clear that the United States as a whole was not adequately represented in the report.

"It [the report] shows that hate crimes laws are useful but no substitute for education and understanding," Sofen said.