WASHINGTON — The FBI today released its annual report looking back at hate crimes numbers for the prior calendar year — and for 2023, the hate crime data relating to incidents targeting members of the LGBTQ+ community once again show disturbing, record-breaking numbers. Even as violence in the nation overall is continuing to drop, reports of hate crime incidents targeting people for their sexual orientation or gender identity are rising.

“Every lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer person in this country should be free to live their lives without fear that we’ll be the target of a violent incident purely because of who we are and who we love,” said Kelley Robinson, Human Rights Campaign President. “Unfortunately, the latest FBI hate crimes data shows that even as public acceptance of LGBTQ+ people continues to grow, and overall crime continues to decline, hate crimes against us are not yet showing signs of subsiding. Make no mistake, politicians who spread disinformation and demonize our lives are contributing to this violence.

“This trend needs to end. LGBTQ+ people need full non-discrimination protections in law, nationwide. All law enforcement agencies must commit to fully reporting data on hate crimes in their communities. And politicians and community leaders across the country need to stop lying about our community and inciting hatred against us. It's time we build an America where LGBTQ+ folks don't just survive, they thrive - in every town, every state, every corner of this nation. That's not just a dream, it's our fundamental right as Americans.

The FBI’s report noted that there were 2,402 recorded incidents relating to an alleged victim’s sexual orientation in 2023, up from 1,947 the year before, and 547 relating to an alleged victim’s gender identity, compared with 469 the year before. The gender identity category included 401 instances that were specifically anti-transgender and 146 that targeted someone who was gender nonconforming.

Race/ethnicity motivated hate crimes remained the largest category, making up 51.5% of all hate crimes. Hate crimes based on religion moved into second, just ahead of sexual orientation.

For the second year in a row, more than 1 in 5 of any type of hate crime is now motivated by anti-LGBTQ+ bias. To learn more about fatal violence against transgender people, which disproportionately impacts Black transgender women, read the HRC Foundation’s research from the last 10+ years.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ+ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.