Hate crimes in Florida.

"More gays targets of hate, state says"

Gays and lesbians are increasingly becoming targets of hate crimes in Florida, according to data released Monday.

Race remains the No. 1 motivating factor in hate crimes, accounting for about half of the 275 cases reported in the state in 2003, the most recent year for which there are statistics. But the percentage of hate crimes linked to the victim's sexual orientation has reached an all-time high of 20 percent.

State Attorney General Charlie Crist said the annual report shows a "clear pattern of growth" in hate crimes based on sexual orientation, which have "increased relentlessly." In the past four years of reports, Florida law-enforcement agencies have documented 194 such crimes, tallied by the number of victims rather than the number of incidents. That four-year total was slightly more than the combined number for the first eight years of hate-crimes reporting.

Gay and lesbian groups aren't surprised. They say the 55 crimes reported in Florida in 2003 are reflective of increased nationwide hostility toward their community sparked by recent "anti-gay" legislation such as sodomy laws and marriage bans.

The groups say the passing of such laws sends the message that it's OK to lash out at them.

"We're the last vestige of acceptable hate," said Richard Haymes, the executive director of the New York City Gay & Lesbian Anti-Violence Project, a 25-year-old nonprofit victims-services agency. "When the highest leader in the land calls for a constitutional amendment against our community, it trickles down...." [Article continues.]