A new report from the FBI shows that while violent crime across the United States declined in 2024, hate crimes targeting LGBTQ+ communities remain alarmingly high — with advocates warning that queer Americans are still under threat.
The FBI’s annual crime statistics, released Tuesday (5 August), indicate a 4.5% decrease in overall violent crime from 2023. Reported hate crimes also dropped slightly by 1.5%, but that reduction comes after 2023 marked a record high for hate crimes nationwide. The 2024 data represents the second-highest total since the FBI began tracking these crimes.
LGBTQ+ Hate Crimes See Only Minor Decline
Within the 11,323 incidents classified as single-bias hate crimes in 2024, 1,950 incidents (17.2%) were motivated by sexual orientation bias — down less than 1% from 2023.
Gender identity-based hate crimes dropped only slightly, too: from 492 incidents in 2023 to 463 in 2024.
Of those, 382 were anti-transgender offences (down from 401), while hate crimes targeting gender-nonconforming individuals remained nearly unchanged.
Although there was a slight decline overall, anti-gay male bias accounted for over half (51.8%) of all sexual orientation-based hate crimes in 2024 — a rise from 49% the previous year.
The data comes from 16,419 law enforcement agencies participating in the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, but only 19% of those agencies reported hate crimes at all. Advocacy groups have long highlighted the systemic underreporting of LGBTQ+ hate crimes, citing distrust in law enforcement among queer communities and internal bias within departments.
HRC Responds: “A National Emergency Hiding in Plain Sight”
In response to the report, Human Rights Campaign (HRC) President Kelley Robinson condemned the continued violence against LGBTQ+ people and placed the blame on anti-equality rhetoric from right-wing politicians and policies introduced under the Trump administration.
“Everyone deserves to be safe in this country and have the chance to thrive,” Robinson said.
“But anti-equality politicians continue to spread lies about LGBTQ+ people, trying to push us out of more and more corners of society. Those smears come with a cost. The FBI has exposed a chilling reality: our community remains a target of violence — and that is unacceptable.”
She called for stronger political support and action, urging leaders to stop fuelling discrimination with divisive policies and language.
“LGBTQ+ people, just like everyone else, should be free to live our lives, pursue our careers and education, build our homes and pursue our American Dreams, without the threat of violence hanging over our heads.”
