COLORADO, USA — On this Transgender Day of Remembrance, new numbers from the FBI show there is a lot of work to do.
The latest data shows hate crime numbers in Colorado overall went down last year, but hate crimes based on sexual orientation went up.
"This increase in violence is absolutely related to this increase in negative rhetoric we're seeing across the United States," said Jax Gonzalez, policy director at One Colorado, a LGBTQ+ advocacy organization.
According the latest report provided by the FBI in 2023, hate crimes based on sexual orientation increased by about 20%.
"At One Colorado, we've been working on these statewide laws to create protections," Gonzalez said. "But then when I travel across the state of Colorado and I talk to people in their hometowns and in their communities about what their experience is like, I am hearing all sorts of challenges among communities and feeling accepted, receiving the resources they may need, being discriminated against at work and that environment is what leads to increase in violence among trans people in Colorado."
Those with the Anti-Defamation League in Colorado said it's clear the nation cannot "prosecute" the problem it is seeing with hate crimes.
"The LGBTQ community broadly is really being dehumanized and targeted," said Jeremy Shaver, the senior associate regional director at the Anti-Defamation League Mountain States region. "I think we need to tone down the rhetoric a bit and take step back and remember we can have challenging conversations about public policy without dehumanizing others."
Shaver said the Anti-Defamation League is working on solutions like strengthening victim services, creating a hate crime reporting hotline and enhancing law enforcement training.
"When we create these types of tensions and people don’t feel safe in their community and they don’t feel welcome in their community, that’s a real significant quality of life issue. So it’s very sobering to read these reports," Shaver said. "But I think we’re taking the right steps in Colorado. We’re making some advances and that’s important to note as well."
Wednesday marked the Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day that memorializes transgender individuals who lost their lives in acts of anti-transgender violence. Gonzalez hopes those individuals can be honored with change.
"Days like today where we’re remembering those who’ve lost is a reminder of the weight of what is happening and how important it is that we continue to do this work, stay steady and move forward to defend Colorado," Gonzalez said.
While Colorado saw a 14% decrease in overall hate crime, there were also fewer law enforcement agencies involved. Shaver told 9NEWS that 17 fewer agencies participated in the 2023 report. He believes that could attribute to that decrease in cases.