Actually, Mayor Bloomberg, It's Getting Worse in New York City

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qRuJhnFjhk&

Earlier today, my colleague Morgan posted New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's addition to the It Gets Better video project for LGBT youth. While Bloomberg's efforts to improve the lives of gay and lesbian children should be commended, one of his main points—that New York City is especially welcoming of minorities—actually flies directly in the face of new crime data. The fact is that hate crimes are up in New York, especially against homosexuals.

From 2008 to 2009 (the newest available data), despite a 15-percent decrease in hate crimes nationwide, hate crimes in New York state went up by 14 percent. What's more, of the state's 683 incidents, 40 percent took place in Bloomberg's New York City.

Most of the state's biased crimes—37 percent—were anti-Semitic, while another 21 percent were committed against blacks. But it was homosexuals who saw their attacks increase most dramatically. In just one year, hate crimes against gay men jumped by 32 percent, while hate crimes against lesbians were up 200 percent.

None of this is to say that New York City is a wholly unsafe place for homosexuals, of course. But it rings a bit hollow for Bloomberg to send enticements to minorities without acknowledging his city's increasing problems with diversity.