Stone Walled: Police Abuse and Misconduct Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People In The U.S.

Nearly four decades after Stonewall, and despite significant progress in the recognition of human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, the targeting of LGBT individuals for police abuse and misconduct remains a persistent and widespread problem in the U.S. In Stonewalled, amnesty International (AI) documents a serious pattern of police abuse and misconduct including: " *Profiling and discriminatory enforcement of certain laws and ordinances against LGBT people; " *Sexual, physical and verbal abuse, including incidents constituting torture or ill-treatment; and " *Failure to respond or inappropriate response to "hate crimes" and domestic violence. Such violations take place within the context of homophobia and transphobia, but also motivated by other forms of discrimination based on race, ethnicity, economic status, as well as stereotyped and rigidly-held ideas about gender - all factors that profoundly impact victims' access to justice. These different forms of discrimination are mutually reinforcing. In many cases, it is difficult to separate the underlying forms of discrimination that trigger the abuses. The report strongly suggests that transgender people, people of color, young people, sex workers and immigrants within the LGBT community aware at a heightened risk of being targeted for police abuse and misconduct. AI has found that even for serious abuses, officers are seldom held accountable, and this lack of accountability breeds a culture of impunity. Police abuse and misconduct against LGBT people are part of a broader spectrum of violence against LGBT people that includes violence in the community and family. These abuses are linked to ongoing problems of discrimination and must be addressed within the larger context of the need for the recognition and protection of the full human rights of LGBT people, including their economic, social and cultural rights. In Stone walled, AI highlights a critical and often invisible human rights issue, and provides concrete recommendations to bring an end to an enduring problem faced by LGBT people in the U.S.Amnesty International Staff is the author of 'Stone Walled: Police Abuse and Misconduct Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People In The U.S.', published 2005 under ISBN 9781887204446 and ISBN 188720444X.