NOHATEVA
"No Virginian should be singled out for abuse, harassment, or mistreatment because of who they are, what they look like, how they worship, where they come from, or whom they love. Hate crimes violate the civil liberties of victims and are contrary to the founding principles of our Commonwealth and our country."
Attorney General Mark R. Herring
Hate crimes are crimes committed against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender's bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.
In 2015, there were 155 hate crime offenses reported in Virginia.
These included:
- 41 assaults based on racial bias
- 29 property or vandalism crimes based on racial bias
- 14 property or vandalism crimes based on religious bias
- 55 bias-motivated crimes against African-Americans
- 8 anti-Jewish crimes
- 7 anti-Islamic crimes
- 11 crimes based on actual or perceived homosexuality against men
- 13 crimes against persons based on a mental or developmental disability
See the Virginia State Police’s full report on hate crimes in Virginia
There are important state and federal laws that can protect you, your family, your business, and your congregation from mistreatment because of your race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.