Report: 2016 Saw Highest Recorded Homicides in US LGBTQ Community

Setting the massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando aside, 2016 was still the bloodiest year for LGBTQ Americans. According to a report released by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP), there was a 17% increase in anti-LGBTQ related homicides from 2015 to 2016.

The report, which was released June 12 to coincide with the anniversary of the Pulse massacre, also noted some disturbing findings that include:

� LGBTQ people of color and transgender and gender non-conforming people made up the majority of homicides.
� More LGBTQ survivors reported experiencing hate violence online in 2016.
� Of the LGBTQ survivors who interacted with the police, 66% said that police were indifferent or hostile.

The report counted 77 anti-LGBT homicides for 2016, 49 of which were from the Pulse massacre. The total number of non-Pulse homicides was 28, up from 24 the previous year. There was also a disproportionate amount of people of color among the victims.

In the preface of the NCAVP report, it was noted that 2016 saw an increased in anti-LGBTQ and anti-transgender public accommodation bills sweeping the country. As such, many of the NCAVP member programs recorded that many LGBTQ people felt an increased tension as these bills gained traction and many were worried that the bills would lead to an increase in violence.

The report also took aim with the Trump Administration.

"Following the election, there was an increase in hate violence targeting LGBTQ people, Muslim communities, immigrant communities and communities of color. These communities were fearful that the Trump Administration and conservative legislators across the country would actively work to roll back the few protections they had, and that the hateful rhetoric used to support conservative policies would incite further acts of hate violence. Sadly, the actions taken by the federal administration, from discriminatory Executive Orders to the appointment of Je Sessions, Betsy Devos, and others, show that these fears were not unfounded."

Sadly, 2017 isn't shaping up to be much better than 2016 for violence against the LGBTQ community. Transgender Americans remain a particular target. A recent report by HRC tracked 12 murders of transgender women for the first half of 2017.