Response to Stonewall Scotland Hate Crime Report
Today, Stonewall Scotland published their new report on LGBT Hate Crime. Some of the key findings were:
- 1 in 5 LGBT people have experienced a hate crime or incident because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity in the last 12 months
- More than a third of LGBT young people in Scotland aged 18-24 have experienced a hate crime or incident based on their gender identity and/or sexual orientation in the last year
- It also shows that four in five anti-LGBT hate and incidents go unreported, with young LGBT people particularly reluctant to go to the police
The reluctance to report incidents connects with our research which shows that around 50% of LGBT young people did not feel confident reporting incidents to the police and were not aware of their rights under hate crime legislation.
Stonewall Scotland’s report raised the issue of safety in public spaces. Feedback from LGBT young people consistently specifies public transportation as an area where they are most likely to feel unsafe.
Worryingly, this report shows significantly more LGBT people stating that they have experienced hate crime than before. This could indicate an increase in hate incidents targeted towards LGBT people or that there is increased awareness that the behaviour they experienced is criminal, and that they are protected by the law.
Regardless, many LGBT young people continue to experience hate crime in Scotland and this research shows that they are still reluctant to report it. This needs to improve - experiencing hate crime can have a devastating impact on young people’s lives, which can follow them into adulthood.
We welcome further partnership work with Police Scotland to ensure that officers are skilled in dealing with incidents and we will continue to work with LGBT liaison officers to directly engage with young people.
We encourage young people to come forward and report hate incidents to the police or contact LGBT Youth Scotland for advice and support. If you, or someone you know, have experienced a hate crime you can report this at your nearest police station, at a third-party reporting site, or at this website.
To find out more about what a hate crime is, access the LGBT National Youth Council’s Pocket Guide to Hate Crime, created by and for young people.
In response. Stonewall Scotland have launched a new campaign #ComeOutForLGBT. Watch there campaign video here!
For Stonewall Scotland's full report on LGBT hate crime click here.
