Many suffered from anti-gay violence in 2008
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g0tgjx7dlBDo3u1B5OucJxAgNicAD958P3700 (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g0tgjx7dlBDo3u1B5OucJxAgNicAD958P3700)
12/23/2008
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — From a series of street bashings in Seattle to
the baseball bat murder of an Ecuadorean immigrant in New York,
episodes of anti-gay violence punctuated a year now ending with police
investigating the alleged gang rape of a lesbian near San Francisco.
Advocates said Tuesday they do not know whether the threats, beatings
and murders reflect a true rise in attacks or increased reporting of
hate-based crimes that persist even as gays gain greater visibility
and legal protections.
By Lisa Leff
Associated Press
Posted: 12/26/2008 06:09:48 AM PST
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fextras.mnginteractive.com%2Flive%2Fmedia%2Fsite568%2F2007%2F1212%2F20071212_103552_MercuryNews.gif&hash=9c79670e541d29cd7d7c212441ba411d47ba6ae9) (http://www.mercurynews.com/crime/ci_11309942)
QuoteSAN FRANCISCO — From a series of street bashings in Seattle to the baseball bat murder of an Ecuadorean immigrant in Brooklyn, episodes of anti-gay violence punctuated a year now ending with police investigating the alleged gang rape of a lesbian in Richmond.
Advocates said Tuesday they do not know whether the threats, beatings and murders involving victims who are suspected of being gay reflects a true rise in attacks or increased reporting of hate-based crimes that persist even as gays gain greater visibility and legal protections.
Either way, experts say 2008 likely will be remembered not only for same-sex couples losing the right to marry in California, but a rash of incidents nationwide that sometimes provoked public outrage and often went unnoticed amid their numbing frequency.