New data out this week from the Federal Bureau of Investigation found that Pennsylvania saw fewer hate crimes in 2011, including those motivated by the victims’ sexual orientation.
The FBI’s annual Hate Crimes Statistics report was released Monday and found an overall 6-percent decline in hate crimes nationally from 2010-11, although there was a slight increase in LGBT-related crimes, from 1,277 to 1,293.
This marks the first time that sexual orientation is the second-most-reported motivator of hate crimes, following race. Religion used to be the second-most-common factor.
The total 6,222 hate-crime incidents marked the lowest figures since 1994, although the report’s methodology has been criticized, as law-enforcement agencies participate on a voluntary basis.
Pennsylvania saw a 7-percent drop in hate crimes, from 57 in 2010 to 53 the following year. There was also a decrease in crimes motivated by sexual orientation, from 10 incidents to seven.
There were 30 incidents relating to race, eight each relating to religion and ethnicity and no disability-related incidents.
The seven LGBT incidents were spread across the state: three in Pittsburgh and one each in Cheltenham Township, Harrisburg, Penn State University’s main campus and West Chester University.
Philadelphia reported no LGBT-related crimes last year, compared to two in 2010. The city did experience seven crimes motivated by race, three by religion and three by ethnicity.
In Pennsylvania, 15 cities, two universities and three state-police forces reported in 2011, compared with 21 cities, two universities and eight state-police departments.
Nationally, there were 1,293 incidents relating to sexual orientation last year, compared with 1,277 the previous year. The majority of the crimes both years were categorized as anti-male.
Pennsylvania’s LGBT-related crimes accounted for about 13 percent of its overall incidents, compared with the national figure of 21 percent.
Of the national anti-LGBT crimes, the majority were categorized as simple assault, followed by intimidation and aggravated assault. For incidents motivated by race, religion and ethnicity, intimidation was the most common crime, followed by simple assault.
There were four hate-related murders nationally last year — three of which were LGBT-related. The previous year, two of the six murders were classified as anti-LGBT.
The FBI does not currently collect data on crimes motivated by gender identity. With the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, however, such crimes will be counted in 2013 and reported the following year.