Charity report incidents of LGBT hate crime has more than doubled

By The Press Association12th October 2015News EnglandCrime, Hate Speech / Harassment, LGBTQ+, News England

Reports of hate crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) victims have increased in recent months, according to campaigners.

Galop, a specialist LGBT anti-violence charity, said the number of people seeking its help has more than doubled. Other groups have reported a similar trend.

Nik Noone, chief executive of Galop, said: “We’ve seen the number of people getting in touch with our hate crime advocacy service more than double in recent months.

“Though one person facing hate crime is one too many, we see this rise in people getting in touch as a cause for optimism and are proud of our part in helping empower people to speak up about their experiences and access assistance.”

The National LGBT Hate Crime Partnership has launched a campaign to raise awareness of the issue.

Paul Roberts, chief executive of the LGBT Consortium, said: “From what our members are telling us, it seems that this picture is being mirrored across other parts of the UK. The message is getting out that LGBT people don’t have to put up with being targeted.

“It’s important that these crimes are reported so that the police have a clear picture and can tackle the issue.”