Anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes have surged to record highs in California, with new data from Los Angeles County painting a particularly grim picture for trans and nonbinary communities.
Recent figures from the LA County Commission on Human Relations show that anti-trans hate crimes in the county reached 102 cases in the last reporting year, the highest number recorded since the agency began tracking hate crimes in 1980.
Around 95 percent of these crimes were violent, underscoring the extreme vulnerability faced by transgender people in the region.
The report also highlights an escalating pattern of hate directed at nonbinary people. While LA County only began separately tracking crimes against nonbinary individuals in 2023, reported incidents rose from four cases to 15 in just a year—a spike of 275 percent.
Advocates say this rapid increase reflects both growing visibility for gender-diverse people and a parallel backlash fuelled by anti-trans rhetoric in politics, media, and online spaces.
Officials and community organisations are calling for stronger protections, better data collection, and more robust support services for survivors of hate-motivated violence. Suggestions include increased funding for LGBTQ+ centres, targeted mental health support, and expanding culturally competent training for law enforcement and frontline services working with trans and nonbinary communities.
For California — a state often seen internationally as a relative safe haven for LGBTQ+ people the numbers are a stark reminder that legal protections alone do not guarantee safety.
Community leaders stress that combating this rise in hate will require sustained political will, public education, and visible solidarity with gender-diverse people, from local neighbourhoods through to state and national leadership.
