Advocates Cite Escalating Anti-Trans Rhetoric and Legislation as Cause
Hate crimes targeting LGBTQ Americans rose sharply in 2024, with federal data showing a nearly 9% year-over-year increase, the FBI said in its latest annual report.
The agency recorded 2,805 single-bias anti-LGBTQ incidents nationwide last year, 2,278 based on sexual orientation and 527 based on gender identity. Attacks tied to sexual orientation increased by 8% from 2023, while those motivated by gender identity surged by 12%.
According to the FBI, crimes targeting sexual orientation accounted for 17.2% of all reported hate crimes in 2024, and those based on gender identity made up 4%. Race and ethnicity-based hate crimes remained the largest category at 51.8% of all cases, followed by religion, with sexual orientation the third most common motivation.
The total number of hate crimes nationwide reached the second-highest level since Congress mandated tracking in 1990. Black Americans and Jewish Americans were most frequently targeted, followed by LGBTQ people.
Advocacy groups say the numbers reflect what many LGBTQ individuals already experience. GLAAD’s ALERT Desk documented 932 anti-LGBTQ incidents in 2024, or an average of 2.5 per day, with more than half aimed at transgender and gender-nonconforming people. The group links the rise to a wave of anti-trans rhetoric and legislation at both the federal and state levels.
The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program only includes incidents reported to law enforcement and meeting strict criteria for classification as a hate crime. That means actions such as online harassment, doxxing, or propaganda flyers may not be reflected in the totals. Civil rights groups also note that LGBTQ people often hesitate to report hate crimes due to fears of retaliation, forced outing, or negative encounters with police.
“The FBI’s 2024 hate crime data has revealed a national emergency hiding in plain sight. Everyone deserves to be safe in this country and have the chance to thrive. But anti-equality politicians continue to spread lies about LGBTQ+ people, trying to push us out of more and more corners of society,” said Kelley Robinson, Human Rights Campaign President. “Those smears come with a cost.
Sarah Moore, of GLAAD, said, “The rise in anti-LGBTQ hate crimes is appalling and must lead to immediate action. We demand the right to live and love safely and freely. Not just for the sake of LGBTQ Americans, but so that all marginalized communities can prosper, from Black and Brown Americans, to Muslim, Jewish, and Sikh people of faith, to the disabled community and immigrants, and to the many others targeted by extremists in the US.”
