Stop the Hate Nevada; Addressing hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people and the communities to which we belong

Equality California Institute DBA Silver State Equality Institute is proposing to launch a program entitled Stop The Hate Nevada, which will seek to address the rise in anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes in the Silver State. This project will take place statewide across the state of Nevada. This application requests $399,997 to complete program activities.

The proposed program will establish a cross-disciplinary Advisory Committee of community-based organizations who will work collectively to analyze data to assess and enhance reporting of hate crimes. The Committee will focus on addressing the systemic issues that inhibit justice when a hate crime occurs, clarifying possible reasons for lack of reporting and educating community leaders and decision makers about best practices regarding the collection of SOGI data when hate crimes are reported.

In order to address the rising incidence of anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes in Nevada, this program will build cross-community cohesion and resilience, ensure LGBTQ+ Nevadans are equipped with the knowledge, skills and resources to report hate crimes and access support, and work to improve hate crime reporting through systems change.

Key elements of the work will include (1) Creating new resources and updating long outdated, currently available LGBTQ+ specific resources for hate crime intervention and prevention. These resources will be available online for statewide download and access, and distributed to community partners. (2) Disseminating educational materials among the broader LGBTQ+ community and its allies. (3) Establishing an Advisory Committee of cross-community organizations, who will collectively develop a document with formal recommendations to improve LGBTQ+ access to justice in the wake of hate crimes, and conduct outreach and education among legislators, local government officials and community leaders with the goal of supporting systems change.