LGBTQA Initiatives Discuss Hate Crimes Following The Shooting Of Tony McDade, A Black Transgender Man

Jesse Fraga/Staff Writer

Following the violent death of the black transgender man Tony McDade in Tallahassee, Fla. on May 27, FIU faculty felt the urgency to hold a public discussion on the topic of hate crimes in the U.S.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a hate crime is defined as “a criminal offense 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.”

Since remote learning became the new normal, FIU’s LGBTQA Initiatives continues to support the university. They have been posting daily Instagram livestreams as part of their “That’s So Queer!” series, covering topics ranging from Animal Crossing hangouts to trans inclusive healthcare.

The associate director of LGBTQA Initiatives, Erica Jayne Friedman, interviewed Besiki Luka Kutateladze yesterday to talk about how to stop hate crimes.

Kutateladze is an associate professor in FIU’s Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice and has a doctorate in criminal justice. His most recent research covers hate crimes and hate crime reporting among Latinx LGBTQ+ people.

His interest in this study started when he was 13 years old, when his cousin was executed in the Republic of Georgia for committing a series of violent crimes. This incident inspired him to learn more about the death penalty, influencing his curiosity in criminal justice.

As a gay man himself, he moved to South Florida after being told by a colleague that it is a queer-friendly state. However, once he arrived and conducted his research, he learned of hate crime victims whose stories went unreported.

While the Pulse Nightclub Massacre of June 12, 2016 is one of the most publicized hate crimes aimed at the LGBTQA+ community, many forms of victimization towards this community still goes unnoticed. 

“Because we’re so used to abuse and stigma, sometimes we downplay the severity of the experiences we have,” Kutateladze said.

As he interviewed members of the community, he noticed that hate crimes reported to the media and the criminal justice system are merely to seek immediate help. If victims do not feel that they will be accurately represented, they tend to not report the crime at all.

As prosecutors have to prove the motivation of the case, many victims avoid going through with legal action because of the risk of having their identity misrepresented or not wanting to come out to the public.

With this, he encourages LGBTQ+ allies to support their community when reporting crimes, as it has shown to be a difficult task for many.

Jade Moten, an FIU graduate student and alumna, actively tuned into the livestream.

“I’m wondering how to or where you’d begin in addressing policies that covertly target queer people of color,” she asked.

Kutateladze knows he holds a great responsibility to accurately address all members of the community in his research. He hopes that he can aid in the development of policy accommodations within the criminal justice system with his research. 

“I need to understand why the criminal justice system is not doing its job,” he responded to Moten. He believes that victims of hate crimes would be more willing to report incidents if they knew the instigator would be properly held accountable. 

However, the prevalence of homophobic and transphobic bias continues to impact the handling of hate crimes. 

This episode of “That’s So Queer!” showed that reform needs to go further than social change to end hate crimes. It is also important to apply all cases of victimization to better understand and support the needs of the LGBTQ+ community.

To receive updates on future LGBTQA Initiatives programming, including “That’s So Queer!,” follow @fiulgbtqa on Instagram.