June 14, 2010

Anti-Gay Hate Crime Skyrocketing in Canada

Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.

Violent crime is on the increase in Canada, with gay men being the victims of many of the most vicious attacks.

Hate crimes spiked by 35% in a one-year period, leaping up in number from 2007 to 2008, reported the Canadian Press on June 14. A little more than half of those crimes targeted victims because of their race; a quarter were motivated by the victim's religion; and around a sixth were driven by anti-gay animus. But the number of anti-gay hate crimes shot up 100% between 2007 and 2008, the article said, and of anti-gay hate crimes, three-quarters involved violence rather than vandalism or other forms of criminal activity; in contrast, only 38% of the hate crimes motivated by race were violent in nature, and only a quarter of hate crimes targeting religious minorities involved violence.

Among anti-gay instances of hate crime in Canada recently:

  • In Windsor, two episodes of gay bashing took place within two weeks. In mid-May, Chris Rabideau was set upon by two men who beat and robbed him; the men shouted anti-gay epithets during the attack. On May 31, two men were assaulted by an individual who, together with two others, hurled anti-gay abuse at them in a pizza restaurant. Though only one of the abusers physically attacked the men, he left one victim with facial injuries severe enough to require reconstructive surgery, reported Xtra! on May 31.

  • Last October, 27-year-old Christopher Skinner, an openly gay man, was beaten by a number of men who emerged from a black SUV. While Skinner lay on the ground, the men got back into the vehicle and deliberately drive over him. Skinner died later in the hospital. It was only hours later that Skinner's fiancee, Ryan Cook, learned of Skinner's murder.

  • A 62-year-old gay man was knocked down by a 35-year-old who declared that, "The faggot deserved it." The victim struck his head in the fall, suffering severe brain damage. That attack took place in Vancouver in March of 2009.

    Last September, a gay Ontario man who met a prospective model was given a ride in the man's truck. The driver suddenly launched into an assault on the passenger, striking him repeatedly and saying, "Because you're gay you need to be punished, I'm going to fucking kill you, and you're a faggot." The victim leapt from the vehicle and was taken to the hospital with lacerations, bruises, and a dislocated shoulder.

    Four days later, another Ontario man was attacked, this time by a mob of young men who was viciously beaten with a brick and suffered multiple facial contusions and fractures.

    A Canadian agency, Statistics Canada, noted that more reportage might be the reason for the spike, rather than more crime. However, a Queen's University sociology professor, Sarita Srivastava, noted that hate crimes are under-reported as a rule.

    The executive director of GLBT equality group EGALE, Helen Kennedy, similarly noted that, "close to 75 per cent of these crimes go unreported." Kennedy said that anti-gay violence occurs disproportionately in schools, with young GLBTs the targets of harassment and violent attack.

    "The violence is still there," said Kennedy. "The fact that we're reporting it more is good, but we still have to do a lot more."

    by Kilian Melloy , EDGE Staff Reporter

    Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.

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