The increase in cases  — 14 cases in 2008 up from 3 in 2007 — seems dramatic despite the relatively small numbers, and the San Jose Mercury News, along with the Deputy DA, are connecting the statistic to the ubiquity of the gay marriage debate in the news. 

“My belief from having done this work for many years is that surges in types of hate incidents are linked to the headlines and controversies of the day,” said Deputy District Attorney Jay Boyarsky, who is assigned to monitor hate crimes. “Marriage equality and Proposition 8 have been in the news, and we have seen an increase in gay-bashing.”

For those non-California readers, Santa Clara County is home to San Jose and is within a half hour of San Francisco.  There was also, arguably, significantly more support for the gay marriage ban down there than there was up here.  The Mercury News also quotes some of the pro-Prop-8ers, who are quick to site that those scary faggots harassed them during their campaign as well.

The former campaign manager for Proposition 8 said the statistics don’t reflect cases in which opponents harassed and threatened supporters of the ban.

“I certainly hope Proposition 8 did not result in more crime,” said Frank Schubert of the group Protect Marriage. “But if it did, it did so on both sides.”

Whatever Frank. When we threw that shoe at you out of our moving vehicle it was *totes* out of love.

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Surge in anti-gay hate crime cases (San Jose Mercury News)