Gay marriage debate may have motivated attacks

WASHINGTON - D.C. Police are looking into the possibility that recent attacks on Georgetown University students may have been motivated by the same sex marriage debate.

Twice in the last week, Georgetown students have reported being attacked and verbally abused. The attacks have been classified as hate crimes.

"Whenever there's an issue that's getting a lot of attention, there may be something that's sparking these assaults," D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said Thursday on WTOP's Ask the Chief program. "Certainly that's something we are looking at."

According to Lanier, there have been as many hate crimes this year as last year.

"We've had 36 cases in 2009 that have been classified as hate crimes. Thirty-one of those are related to sexual orientation. We had 38 for the entire year {last year}."

Lanier said hate crimes are up in some parts of the District, but down in others.

"We've seen increases in 'east of the river' neighborhoods, in particular gay-related hate crimes over the past year. So while they're up in the Sixth and Seventh Districts, they're down in Northwest."

Lanier says that over the long term, hate crimes are trending downward.

"Back in 2006, we had 55, so we are seeing a decline in hate related crimes -- but the shift in where they are occuring is my concern."

Lanier says that's why decentralizing the Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit that had focused on Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan is important.

D.C. Councilmember David Catania tells WTOP he is "extremely disturbed" by the recent attacks on Georgetown students.

"It certainly appears that these attacks have been motivated by hate and intolerance towards gays and lesbians. We can't know whether they have been provoked by current events. But we do know that they are unacceptable in any context and will not be tolerated," Catania tells WTOP in a written statement.

(Copyright 2009 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)