FBI releases hate crime statistics for 2012

A total of 7,164 people were the victim of a reported hate crime across the country in 2012, with 19.2 percent of them targeted because of their sexual orientation, according to new data released by the FBI on Monday.

The numbers show a decline compared to 2011, when 7,713 victims were reported targeted, 20.4 percent because of their sexual orientation.

In 2012, 1,376 victims were targeted for their sexual orientation. Of the offenses, 53.9 percent were based on "anti-male homosexual" bias, 28.6 percent on a general "anti-homosexual" bias, 12.7 percent on an "anti-female homosexual" bias, 3 percent on an "anti-bisexual" bias, and 1.9 percent on an "anti-heterosexual" bias.

In 2011, 1,572 victims were targeted for their sexual orientation, with a very similar breakdown in percentages.

In Maryland, there were 35 hate-crime incidents in 2012: 23 were based on race, 4 on religion, 7 on sexual orientation, 1 on ethnicity, and 0 on disability.

Connected to those 35 incidents, there were 45 offenses. Of those, 18 were destruction of property or vandalism, 14 were aggravated assaults, 11 were simple assaults, 1 was a robbery, 1 was an arson.

Of the 7 hate crimes in Maryland related to sexual orientation in 2012, compared to 6 in 2011, 1 was in Cambridge, 1 in New Carrollton, 2 in Baltimore County, 2 in Carroll County and 1 in Montgomery County.

Of the 6 in 2011, there was 1 in Baltimore, 1 in Anne Arundel County, 2 in Baltimore County, 1 in Carroll County, and 1 at Towson University.

The entire 2012 report is online and available to browse here. Also, here is the 2011 report.