Hate crimes motivated by anti-LGBTQ animus rose again last year, according to FBI data published Monday, a troubling increase that gay and transgender rights advocates believe is linked to ramped-up rhetoric and legislation targeting the community.

Attacks based on sexual orientation are up 23% and race and ethnicity-based hate crimes are still the largest category. But more than 1 in 5 hate crimes are motivated by anti-LGBTQ bias says the Human Rights Campaign after looking over the latest FBI report on hate crimes.

The FBI’s 2023 report on hate crimes paints a grim picture of rising intolerance across the United States, revealing a surge to 11,862 incidents—the highest ever recorded since tracking began in the early 1990s. This marks a two percent increase from 2022, with Black and Jewish communities continuing to bear the brunt of the violence.

Sept. 24 (UPI) -- A new FBI crime report shows the number of hate crimes targeting the LGBTQ+ community increased in 2023. In its annual Crime in the Nation report, released Monday, the FBI recorded 2,402 incidents last year related to sexual orientation. That number is up from 1,947 incidents in 2022.

An arrest was made in connection to an altercation that happened in September over a pride flag at a Roseville restaurant and left an employee hospitalized, police said Tuesday.

An 18-year-old Lincoln man described as the primary suspect in a hate crime at a Roseville pizza shop last month has been arrested, police said.

A man is facing hate crime and felony assault charges after attacking employees at a Blaze Pizza in Roseville. The attack happened on Sept. 19. Police said it started when a man went into the restaurant to pick up a delivery order,