Not all hate crimes are created equal: an examination of the roles of ambiguity and expectations in perceptions of hate crimes

The present set of studies investigated extra-legal factors in cases depicting bias-motivated assault. Study one focused on sexual orientation motivated hate crime. In this study, participants (N = 240) read a trial transcript depicting an assault on a man during a gay pride parade. The victim's sexual orientation was varied (i.e., he either stated he was or was not gay) as was the victim's involvement in the parade (i.e., he was either a spectator, marching in it quietly, or marching in it and shouting a pro-gay slogan). Results indicated that beliefs about whether or not the defendant should be convicted, victim blame and perceptions of the victim differed significantly among all conditions. Study two focused on hate crime motivated by race, specifically committed against Native American Indians (NAI). Inclusion in the minority group (victim is NAI vs. victim is not NAI) and involvement (watching parade vs. marching quietly in parade vs. marching and shouting in parade) were varied within the context of a bias-motivated assault that occurred during a Native American Heritage Pride Parade. Results indicated differences in victim blame based in group inclusion and differences in beliefs the crime was a hate crime based on involvement. Keywords Hate crime * Bias-motivated assault * Sexual orientation * Native American Indian
According to the Community Relations Service of the US Department of Justice (2010), a hate crime is defined as 'the violence of intolerance and bigotry, intended to hurt and intimidate [...]