Bias motivated vandalism.

It's in the news, there is possibly an anti-lesbian vandal out there, defacing cars with lewd and vulgar pictures. This particular incident is still being investigated, so it is uncertain whether it is a pattern of behavior that would indicate a potentially bias motivated crime. But it brings attention to the fact that as much as we would like to think differently, Boulder County isn't quite as accepting as it could be.

It's popular these days to question hate crime legislation, starting with the rationale that all crimes are motivated by hate. My opinion is that bias motivated crimes are important to understand because they can be encouraged by social conditioning. Often times bias is towards groups that are in the minority and disenfranchised in some way. The person committing the crime is targeting that person or group because they believe their behavior will be condoned or ignored. There was a time when police would support this, being less motivated to investigate crimes that were committed against outsiders, or even holding the victim accountable for their situation. And in some places and situations, that can still be the case.

It's a complicated question, but with no simple answers. Bias motivated incidents occur every day, in a variety of levels. Regardless of the community targeted, regardless of the level of the incident, we need to speak out against the ignorance that inspires them. If we want things to change, we need to work together to make them change. Consider volunteering for an organization, like Boulder Pride, Safehouse Alliance, Colorado Anti-Violence Program, or another organization working to create a better community for all.