The Levine Center to End Hate at the Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester continues to release data points specific to subgroups that completed the Center’s “State of Hate in Greater Rochester” community survey. Their findings show that nearly half (48%) of the LGBTQ+ community feel unsafe, most commonly when shopping or in their neighborhoods.
In addition, the survey found 50% of the area’s LGBTQ+ community fear a verbal attack and 45% worry they may be physically attacked.
“We’ve seen a disturbing increase in anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric recently. We know that words can turn deadly, as we saw with the horrific mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs last month,” says Karen Elam, Executive Director of the Levine Center to End Hate. “We are continuing to find that the responses to our survey underscore the fear that members of minority groups in our community are feeling.”
Other survey data show that 63% of LGBTQ+ respondents have personally known someone from their community who experienced discrimination, and 49% have witnessed it firsthand.
“It’s hard to keep optimistic in such times, but the question we keep returning to with our survey is, ‘Do you think Greater Rochester is mostly a good place to live?’ 61% of the LGBTQ+ community answered that it is, with only 10% saying it is a bad place to live,” says Elam. “That is encouraging as we continue to build on our programming aimed at creating an accepting community for LGBTQ+ individuals.”
“One of our recent programs, Understanding and Affirming Transgender, Non-binary, and Gender Nonconforming Identities, was meant to break down preconceived biases people may have,” continues Elam. “We were thrilled that some of our attendees have asked to hold the same workshop at their workplaces.”
“There are many impactful actions that allies can take in their everyday lives in support of their LGBTQ+ friends, family members, colleagues, and neighbors,” says Jeanette Adams-Price, the facilitator from the Levine Center’s program on gender identity. “People can start by simply using inclusive and affirming language, interrupting harmful behaviors, advocating for LGBTQ+ equity and inclusion, making amends when you make mistakes – and you will, and making a commitment to keep learning.”
This first “State of Hate in Greater Rochester” survey establishes a baseline of attitudes, perceptions, and experiences of discrimination and bias in the area. The survey will be repeated in the future to evaluate local efforts at addressing hate.
Survey content was developed by Causewave Community Partners and Crux Research in consultation with the Levine Center to End Hate at the Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester. BRX Research assisted in data collection. The survey comprised a representative sample of 1,090 community respondents from a nine-county Greater Rochester area. All respondents were 18 and older and came from diverse religious backgrounds, various educational backgrounds, and household incomes. Quotas were maintained by gender, age, and race/ethnicity. The data seek to be representative of adults living in the Greater Rochester area.
The full report can be found at https://endhateroc.org/community-survey.
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