Being targeted for who you are wounds victims more deeply than ordinary crime does.

Evidence

It scars the victim far more deeply. It is much more difficult I think as a victim to say I was put in the hospital because I’m gay or because I’m Hispanic, or because I’m a woman, than it is to say, you know I was walking down the street and I had my bag around my arm and some guy snatched from me, some guy knocked me over the head and took what I had, because they want property. You’re not being singled out. You are beaten or hurt because of who you are. — Irene Zempi and Imran Awan, Islamophobia, 46

Categorization

• SHARE: A clean, quotable distinction for anyone who works on hate crime or victim support — the ‘you’re not being singled out’ versus ‘because of who you are’ contrast does the whole argument in one line.