An analysis of data collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation reveals that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people were already the most targeted victims of hate crimes, even before the Orlando massacre last Sunday, according to The New York Times.
The data shows that over the past ten years, hate crimes against people in the LGBT community have exceeded those against Jewish people. LGBT people are more than twice as likely to be attacked as black, Asian, and Hispanic people.
A new CBS News Poll shows that the nation remains divided over how to define the Orlando massacre, but most people believe it was both a hate crime and a terrorist attack.
In 2014, 5,462 single-bias hate crimes were reported to the FBI. The data shows that about 20 percent of these crimes were related to gender identity or sexual orientation.
While many postive strides have made toward tolerance, it is very clear that the fight for equality is far from over. This just shows that we need to remember the Orlando shooter probably targeted a gay club for a reason, and that the world is still not safe for many people who don’t identify as straight or cis.