Something Was Wrong - Data Points: The Intersection of True Crime & The LGBTQIA+ Community featuring Jimanekia Eborn

Starting point is 00:00:00 Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to Something Was Wrong early and ad free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Hi, friends. It's Jemenica Eborn from Trauma Queen. I'm guest hosting this episode of Broken Psycho Media's new educational series, Data Points. These special episodes will include educational information, statistics, and support on important topics for our community. Thank you so much for listening. Before delving into the statistics and implications of the intersection of true crime and the LGBTQIA plus community, defining key terms is crucial.

Starting point is 00:00:46 LGBTQ plus encompasses individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual orientations and gender identities. Violence against LGBTQ plus individuals can manifest as physical, sexual, or psychological harm and can be based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Research conducted by the UCLA School of Law reveals that LGBTQ plus individuals are nearly four times more likely than non-LGBTQ plus individuals to be victims of violent crime. According to the human rights campaign,

Starting point is 00:01:26 women who identify as members of the LGBTQ plus community are significantly more likely than straight women to have ever experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime. A study conducted by the CDC reported that 61% of bisexual women, 44% of lesbian women, 35% of straight women, 37.3% of men who identify as bisexual versus 29% of heterosexual men who had reported experiencing IPV in their lifetime. Meanwhile, 26% of homosexual men report being the victim of intimate partner violence. Transgender people experience IPV at rates even higher than their cisgender peers. An analysis of the 2015 United States Transgender Survey found that 54% of all trans and non-binary

Starting point is 00:02:18 people have experienced IPV at some point in their lifetimes. An essential factor to consider is that for many members of the LGBTQ plus community, intimate partner violence often begins in youth or young adulthood. According to the same survey mentioned above, lesbian, gay, and bisexual high school age students report elevated rates of physical violence at 13% and sexual dating violence at 16% compared to the rates of physical and sexual dating violence reported by their straight peers, which are 7% in both categories. Transgender students report even higher levels of physical and sexual violence. Moreover, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center

Starting point is 00:03:06 underscores the higher rates of violence, including sexual violence and police brutality faced by LGBTQIA plus individuals. Transgender individuals, particularly transgender women of color are at a heightened risk of experiencing both sexual and racial discrimination. In 2022, the advocate reported

Starting point is 00:03:26 a significant rise in anti-LGBTQ-plus hate crimes, with 1,947 incidents related to sexual orientation and 469 related to gender identity. Despite improvements in reporting, many states lack comprehensive hate crime laws that protect sexual orientation and gender identity. While crimes against Black people remain prevalent, those motivated by sexual orientation and gender identity are on the rise. If left unchecked, this trend could have increasingly dire consequences for LGBTQ plus individual safety and well-being. To add to the difficulty of understanding how vast this epidemic of violence is, the Human Rights Campaign highlights the challenges of incomplete data reporting on hate crimes against the LGBTQ plus community. Anti-LGBTQ plus rhetoric and discriminatory legislation contributes to a hostile environment, feeling

Starting point is 00:04:27 more violence and less reporting. Thus, in our current state, all encompassing statistics of victimhood are impossible to fully obtain because of this lack of safe reporting and safe recipients of survivors. Without robust interventions, the future looks bleak for LGBTQ plus individuals who continue to face threats to their lives and dignity. I'm often asked how we can positively change things. My answer is frequently community and accountability. Although what we witness may be different,

Starting point is 00:05:05 we can all be active bystanders. And I say this by being mindful of our surroundings and our safety. There are three steps to being an active bystander or what we refer to as the three Ds. The first is direct, which is the most immediate way to intervene. One can directly address the situation

Starting point is 00:05:25 and support the person being harmed. The second is to delegate and direct others in that space to get help while you're moving into the third step, which is distract. You can create a distraction to allow the person in harm's way to get away. It may sound simplistic, but if you see something, say something, it could truly save someone's life.

Starting point is 00:05:47 On a larger scale, in order to ensure the safety of the LGBTQIA plus community, a multi-tiered approach to prevention must be created. Preventative measures can include far-reaching education about domestic violence and discrimination, less biased reporting processes, and increased legislative protection, to name a few. What is undoubtedly true is that addressing the prevalence of violence affecting the LGBTQIA plus community will take support and awareness on all fronts. Fortunately, several organizations are stepping up to address this crisis, which are linked

Starting point is 00:06:24 in the episode notes. Human Rights Watch conducts research and advocacy on human rights abuses, including violence against LGBTQIA plus individuals. InterPride supports LGBTQIA plus communities globally, advocating against violence and discrimination. UN Women in GLAD promote LGBTQIA+, acceptance, and combat discrimination through policy changes and media advocacy, emphasizing the need for targeted policies and protections for lesbian, bisexual, and queer women,

Starting point is 00:06:59 as well as non-binary individuals. Efforts to combat violence against LGBTQIA plus communities require concerted action from various sectors and many organizations, some of which are named above. As we conclude today's episode, let's remember that violence against LGBTQIA plus communities is not just a statistic. It's a human rights crisis that demands immediate attention and action

Starting point is 00:07:28 by raising awareness, advocating for policy changes and providing support services and educational tools. We can work towards creating a safer and more inclusive world for all LGBTQIA plus individuals. For more information about the nonprofit organizations mentioned prior, as well as more comprehensive list of organizations that are working to help LGBTQIA plus victims of crime, please visit www.somethingwaswrong.com. Many of the fantastic groups listed on the website are only able to exist because

Starting point is 00:08:06 of the community's help and support from people like you. If you would like to find out more information about volunteer opportunities, please feel free to visit the resource page as well and reach out directly to the organizations of your choice. I'm Jemenika Eborn and you can find me on Trauma Queen everywhere you listen to podcasts. You can also hear more of my personal story on what came next episode 36 entitled Everyone Does Survivorship Differently wherever you listen to podcasts. Thank you so much for listening and learning with us. If you like Something Was Wrong, you can listen early and ad free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple podcasts. Prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music.

Starting point is 00:09:00 Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey at wondery.com slash survey. I'm Dan Tuberski. In 2011, something strange began to happen at the high school in Leroy, New York. I was like at my locker and she came up to me and she was like stuttering super bad. I'm like, stop f***ing around. She's like, I can't. A mystery illness, bizarre symptoms, and spreading fast. It's like doubling and tripling and it's all these girls.

Starting point is 00:09:25 With a diagnosis the state tried to keep on the down low. Everybody thought I was holding something back. Well you were holding something back. And tension, I. Yeah, yeah, well, yeah. No, it's hysteria. It's all in your head. It's not physical.

Starting point is 00:09:37 Oh my gosh, you're exaggerating. Is this the largest mass hysteria since the witches of Salem? Or is it something else entirely? Something's wrong here. Something's not right. Leroy was the new dateline and everyone was trying to solve the murder. A new limited series from Wondery and Pineapple Street Studios.

Starting point is 00:09:54 Hysterical. Follow Hysterical on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of Hysterical early and ad free right now by joining Wondery Plus.

Something Was Wrong - Data Points: The Intersection of True Crime & The LGBTQIA+ Community featuring Jimanekia Eborn

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