School hate crimes targeting LGBTQ+ people have sharply risen in recent years, climbing fastest in states that have passed laws restricting LGBTQ student rights and education, a Washington Post analysis of FBI data finds.
In states with restrictive laws, the number of hate crimes on K-12 campuses has more than quadrupled since the onset of a divisive culture war that has often centered on the rights of LGBTQ+ youth.
this tracks with authoritarian psychology. when you give official permission to attack a group, authoritarians go on the offensive. these hate bills signal that queer teens are greenlit. the people who pass them are child abusers
The article doesn’t say, but is it because in states that don’t protect LBGTQ students the same as states with laws that the LGBTQ kids are forced to lay low and keep quiet or face violence? Or also because states with laws register more crimes against LGBTQ who are now more open because they expect protections and equality?