Related Topics
Hate Crimes
Sexual violence can sometimes be motivated by negative feelings about the victim's actual or perceived race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. Under the Illinois Hate Crime act, any crime committed due to these characteristics is defined as a hate crime. Hate crimes are often more severe than other forms of violence, and can be traumatic to the survivor in different ways than other forms of sexual assault.
In addition to placing added psychological stress upon the survivor, hate crimes differ from other forms of assault because they are classified and prosecuted differently under state and federal law. It is important to be aware of your rights if you think that you have been sexually assaulted because of your real or perceived classification in a certain group.
If you would like more information on hate crimes, referrals for services offered to hate crime survivors, or free legal advice, the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law has a special task force set up for providing these services:
Project to Combat Bias Violence
Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Inc.
100 N. LaSalle, Suite 600
Chicago, Illinois 60602
(312) 630-9744 (9749 TDD)
If you think that you have been the victim of a hate crime because of your sexual orientation or gender presentation, The Center on Halsted runs a 24-hour hotline with crisis intervention, and referral services. Their non-emergency line offers education and advocacy information with specific information about crimes motivated by sexual orientation:
Anti-Violence Project
The Center on Halsted
961 W. Montana
Chicago, IL 60614
24-Hour Crisis Hotline: (773) 871- CARE
* Non-emergency calls for the Anti-Violence Project should be directed to the Manager of Advocacy and Legislative Affairs at (773) 472-6469, ext. 224.
