Human Rights Archives

UK Research: Anti-LGBTQ+ Hate and Rising Trends

04/11/2025 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

Hate Crime Statistics die Anti-LGBTQ+ Hate and Rising Trends

The data on UK hate crimes presents a complex picture. Recent official statistics show a 2% decrease in sexual orientation-related hate crimes (from 19,127 to 18,702) and an 11% decrease in transgender identity-related crimes (from 4,258 to 3,809) in 2024/25. However, advocacy groups caution that these figures don’t tell the full story.

The statistics exclude Metropolitan Police data due to reporting changes, which significantly affect LGBTQ+ data, given that many LGBTQ+ people live in London. Additionally, over the past five years, hate crimes based on sexual orientation have risen by around 44% and those based on trans identity have nearly doubled at 88%.

LGBTQ+ hate crime charity Galop saw a 60% increase in LGBTQ+ hate crime victims coming to them for support in 2024, suggesting the official figures underestimate the true scale of the problem. Fewer than one in ten LGBTQ+ people report hate crimes or incidents to police, with half feeling the police wouldn’t do anything.

The Supreme Court Ruling

In April 2025, the UK Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the legal definition of woman under the Equality Act 2010 refers to biological sex assigned at birth. The case originated from a challenge by For Women Scotland to Scottish legislation requiring 50% of public board members to be women, which included transgender women with gender recognition certificates.

The ruling determined that interpreting ‘sex’ as certificated sex would cut across the definitions of ‘man’ and ‘woman’ in an incoherent way, and that transgender women could be excluded from same-sex facilities such as changing rooms if proportionate.

Many LGBTQ+ people are living in fear following the Supreme Court judgment, according to advocacy groups, though this period doesn’t fall within the most recent hate crime statistics. The ruling effectively forced trans people to use sex-segregated public services and facilities according to their sex-assigned at birth, contrary to their identity and appearance.

Reform UK’s Growing Influence

Reform UK’s manifesto pledges to ban “transgender ideology” in primary and secondary schools, with no gender questioning, social transitioning or pronoun swapping, and mandates single-sex facilities in schools. The party also states it will scrap the 2010 Equality Act and eliminate diversity, equality and inclusion roles.

69% of Reform UK voters believe that trans people should not be able to legally change their gender via a gender recognition certificate, though 65% still believe same-sex couples should be allowed to marry. The 10 English councils now controlled by Reform have banned the flying of Pride flags, limiting flagpoles to the Union Jack and regional emblems.

Reform UK’s electoral threat has pushed both Conservative and Labour parties to adopt more conservative positions on gender self-identification and transgender rights, framing these policies around safeguarding concerns for cisgender women and children.

Online Harassment and Platform Safety

GLAAD’s 2025 Social Media Safety Index found that platforms broadly under-moderated anti-LBGTQ+ hate content while over-moderating LGBTQ+ users, including taking down hashtags containing phrases such as queer, trans and non-binary. In the UK, coordinated far-right and Christian extremist online campaigns have targeted Pride events with fabricated claims that they are “sexualising public spaces,” with these narratives emboldening physical protests and attacks such as those witnessed at London Pride in 2024.

Two in five LGBTQ+ young people, including 58% of trans young people, have been targets of homophobic, biphobic or transphobic online abuse, while nearly all (97%) have witnessed it. Less than half of LGBTQ+ victims of online abuse reported their experiences to social media platforms, and less than one in ten reported to police.

School Bullying

A 2024 YouGov poll found that 47% of LGBTQ+ youth in the UK have been bullied or discriminated against at school or university because of their sexual orientation, and 25% faced bullying due to their gender identity. Half of those who experienced bullying never reported it, and of those who did report it to staff, more than seven in ten said staff responded badly.

Respondents reported being locked in toilets, kicked, verbally and sexually abused, with some being driven to suicidal thoughts, while others complained of teachers purposefully misgendering and mocking them in classrooms. 43% of LGBT+ school students have been bullied compared to 21% of non-LGBT+ students.

Conclusion

The research confirms the article’s themes for the UK context: rising anti-LBGTQ+ sentiment manifesting in hate crimes, discriminatory political developments like the Supreme Court ruling, the growing influence of anti-trans political parties like Reform UK, widespread online harassment, and persistent bullying in schools. While official hate crime statistics show recent decreases, the broader five-year trend shows significant increases, and underreporting remains a major issue.

Links:

#LGBTQRights #TransRights #HateCrimes #UKPOLITICS #QueerRights #EndTransphobia #EndHomophobia #ProtectTransYouth #Equality #HumanRights #LGBTQSafety #UKNews #StandWithLGBTQ

Happy Pride Month

13/06/2025 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

Happy Pride Month to everyone, whether you’re part of the LGBTQ+ community or simply here to celebrate diversity and inclusion. We can all join in the joy and solidarity!

I wanted to share some thoughts that have been circulating on social media, and I think they’re worth reflecting on. It’s a strange and somewhat unsettling time for the LGBTQ+ community. Over the years, many of us have become complacent, thinking the hard-fought battles are behind us. We tend to believe that professionals and advocates are handling everything, so we don’t need to be actively involved.

But the truth is, rights that many fought tirelessly for are gradually slipping away. Attitudes that shifted towards acceptance are now being pushed back. It’s a slow erosion, and it only takes one person in a position of power, such as a president with unchecked authority, to implement changes we will all regret.

This is a reminder: now more than ever, we need to look out for our friends and neighbours, regardless of their background. Because the truth is, any of us could find ourselves in the minority someday. Let’s stay vigilant, compassionate, and united, and have a Happy Pride Month.

Links:

“Family Escapes Birmingham Gay Village Attack, Seeks Refuge in Ireland”

24/09/2024 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

Stop Homophobia

A family has fled to Ireland following a distressing attack that occurred in Birmingham’s gay village. The incident involved a violent assault on the father, who was targeted for his sexual orientation. The family shared their experience, describing the trauma and fear they endured as a result of the attack, which has led them to seek safety in a new country. Their story highlights the ongoing issues of homophobia and violence against LGBTQ+ individuals, as well as the challenges faced by those seeking refuge. The family hopes to rebuild their lives in Ireland, where they can find a more accepting environment.

“World Press Freedom Index 2024”

22/09/2024 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

"World Press Freedom Index 2024"

In a summary of a report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), “World Press Freedom Index 2024”, has stated that more than 50% of the global population resides in countries classified as having a “very serious” press freedom situation, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF)’s 2024 World Press Freedom Index. This alarming statistic highlights the dire circumstances faced by journalists, with individuals in these regions often risking their lives and freedoms to report the news. Presently, 36 countries—up from 31 in 2023—are marked in red on RSF’s press freedom map, indicating severe restrictions, including five of the world’s ten most populous nations: India (159th), China (172nd), Pakistan (152nd), Bangladesh (165th), and Russia (162nd).

Recent elections in these countries have underscored the extent of press freedom violations, with governments exerting control over information and resorting to violence against journalists. For instance, China remains the world’s largest jailer of journalists, while Russia has introduced laws to suppress dissent ahead of its own elections. In Bangladesh, journalist safety deteriorated amidst political turmoil, and Pakistan’s media censorship intensified during election campaigns. In India, disinformation campaigns and harassment of journalists have escalated as Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a third term.

RSF emphasizes that the coming year poses risks for information freedom, as 76 countries with a combined population of 4.1 billion are set to hold elections, creating fertile ground for government manipulation of news. The situation is already tense in other populous nations like Mexico and Indonesia, highlighting a worrying trend for media freedom worldwide.

The report calls on the 36 countries categorized as having severe press freedom issues to address and rectify these obstructive practices.

Links:

Young and Old – time does make a difference!

18/05/2017 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

Over the last 40+ years that I have been involved in the LGBTQ community, I have been privileged to witness the acceptance of gay people into the general community – young and old, we now have more freedoms; however this has only come about through the continued pressure from individuals, groups through lobbying and through legal cases. We have in most parts of the UK an acceptance and understanding that being ‘gay’ is normal, that it does not require “treatment” to correct an illness! Again I said in most parts, there are however still some groups and individuals who wish us to disappear or receive corrective treatment – in most companies LGBTQ rights are now accepted; but we cannot sit back on our backsides; if we do not keep monitoring and interacting with government (both local and national) then the rights that we have fought so hard to achieve will be taken away again.
What are your thoughts on this article; I would really like to hear what you think. Comment now or email us. Young and Old

Source: Old and young see LGBT rights in contrast

Items for further reading:

Human Rights – The Legal Act in the UK

28/09/2016 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

I asked a friend who is retired with a wide set of experiences in dealing with Human Rights, to give me his impression on the removal of the Human Rights Act from the UK, and what impact it would have.
He believes that repealing this Act which brings into domestic law the European Convention on Human Rights, will be a difficult job for the UK Government. Attempts here (N Ireland) to have a Bill of Rights expanding on those rights conferred by HRA are doomed in the short to medium term, despite the Good Friday obligations. He is part of the Human Rights Consortium and during the past 10 years or more since he started to attend, virtually no progress has been made.
He believes that Brexit will further complicate matters as various parts of these islands work out relationships between each other and the EU.
On the Consortium, they have encountered a lack of interest in the Bill of Rights, with the UK Government, the Irish Government and the NI Executive playing each other off. The DUP, mean as usual, don’t really have much of an idea about the value of rights, unless they are to their narrow benefit. It’s rather depressing!
He feels that one possibility is that Scotland, opposed to repeal or amendment of the HRA, might have its own Bill of Rights. It has vehemently opposed the “regressive” proposals for a British Bill of Rights.
On a case by case basis, any repeal of the HRA will be aired by the UK courts, ending up in the Supreme Court. The courts will not want to have to do what is essentially the work of Parliament. That relationship between Parliament, Government and Judiciary can be fractious at times, particularly here (N Ireland) where issues such as sexual orientation and abortion grab the attention of a very religious and conservative Attorney General.
hr-act N Ireland is still awaiting the reserved judgements in the two marriage cases and the Ashers appeal. And it looks like the current Attorney General in N Ireland is being very wide in his interpretation of his role, and there have been requests that he stand down or stop pursuing his own agenda which seems to definitely have a very select bias from my own and others observations.
As with all these things we will have to wait and see how things develop, but of one thing I am certain the removal of the current Human Rights Act will not be to our benefit, and I honestly believe that LGBT rights and other diversity groups will suffer if it is taken away.
Links to further reading

Justice?

12/01/2016 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

Editorial:

The definition of justice varies from individual, to individual, depending upon what has happened, how it has affected that individual, and also on how it has affected the societal group that he or she belongs to.

The Law Dictionary defines justice as:

“Protecting rights and punishing wrongs using fairness. It is possible to have unjust laws, even with fair and proper administration of the law of the land as a way for all legal systems to uphold this ideal.”

Law Dictionary: What is JUSTICE? definition of JUSTICE (Black’s Law Dictionary)

So you are probably asking why I am discussing this topic, and as you can probably guess it is because of an article written in one of our daily newspapers, in this case The Telegraph: ‘The Church, the police and the unholy destruction of Bishop Bell’
I have to state that I have no knowledge of Bishop Bell, or of the case that is outlined in the news article, indeed in terms of religion I am an atheist – but open to discussion. My problem with religion is that man is involved, and to often man has used religion as a means to elevate themselves above the ordinary being.
So to get back to the article; Charles Moore, the writer of the article writes critically on how it appears that church in an attempt of heading off bad publicity, has decided that Bishop Bell is ‘guilty’ of a sexual crime without there having been a court case to assess the evidence. Indeed the Church has gone even further, in that it has demoted Bishop Bell, flowers placed on his memorial in the cathedral are removed, and what was the ‘George Bell house’ (a centre for vocation, education and reconciliation) is to be renamed shortly.
The fact that the church has jumped in with both feet, instead of following the due process of law, is why I have an argument with the Church.

The key legal principle – the presumption of innocence – is being set aside’

I would urge you to read the article, to then to read the article ‘Police State UK: The Rights You Didn’t Know You’d Lost’ written by Scriptonite / March 19, 2013

I believe in justice, but justice must be seen to be done fairly and without favour to one side or the other. I will leave you with the last paragraph from Charles Moore’s article…

Justice is not guaranteed by passionate feeling against a particular, horrible crime such as child abuse. It depends absolutely on proper process. When public bodies set that process aside, what trust or “transparency” is left? If Bishop Bell had been a Nazi war criminal, the charges against him would have had to reach a far higher standard of proof than those by which the Church of England has destroyed him. The restoration of justice should be its New Year resolution.

When and where is being gay grounds for asylum?

06/12/2015 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

The Economist explains – Nov 19th 2013,

GAYS and lesbians in many parts of the world are celebrating. Fifteen countries allow homosexual couples to tie the knot, and in Britain a same-sex marriages bill will become law next year. Fifteen states in America have said “I do” to gay marriage. But elsewhere the picture is less rosy. Homosexuality is a crime in more than 75 countries, which threaten sentences ranging from fines to the death penalty. Because of this and abuse by their fellow citizens, every year thousands of gays and lesbians apply for asylum in more tolerant countries, citing fear of persecution. When and where is being gay grounds for asylum?
Many anti-gay laws are a hangover of the British empire. In 1533 the English parliament passed “An Acte for the punysshement of the vice of Buggerie”, the punysshement in question being death. Whereas gay sex has been legal in France since the late 18th century, it was banned in England until 1967. This helps explain why so many former British colonies in Africa still have anti-gay laws, while so few of the old French colonies do. It’s not always the fault of the Victorians, however: in some other countries, notably Russia, things have taken a recent turn for the worse.
The rules on asylum vary considerably. Italy automatically gives refuge to those from a country with anti-gay laws, while Spain makes it a lot harder. Many applications have been denied by countries that argued that gays can go home and avoid abuse simply by concealing their sexuality. America, Britain and a few others have stopped making this argument, but some European countries have continued to use the “be more discreet” defence. No longer. Earlier this month the European Court of Justice ruled that gays count as a “social group”, meaning they are eligible for asylum if they can demonstrate persecution (defined as the enforcement of prison sentences—mere fines or sporadic application of the law may not count). The verdict followed a similar ruling last year that religious refugees could not be asked to hide their faith or abstain from worship to avoid abuse back home.
But how can asylum seekers prove they are gay? Many authorities rely on absurd stereotypes to reject asylum claims: in Britain, for instance, gay applicants have been quizzed on their taste in music, according to Livio Zilli of the International Commission of Jurists, a human-rights lobby. Some applicants have gone to extreme lengths to prove their sexuality, including filming themselves in the bedroom. Sorting real from fake claims presents countries with a problem. They must solve it swiftly: because of the court ruling, the number of applications may well increase.

Saudi Arabia Rules?

30/09/2015 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon greets Saudi Arabian Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir. Albin Lohr-Jones/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

Editorial: Is there a conflict within the United Nations regarding the appointment of Mr Faisal Bin Hassan Trad, Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador at the UN in Geneva, as he has been elected as Chair of a panel of independent experts on the UN Human Rights Council. (LINK)

To any reasonable minded person you would definetly think so, especially as Saudi Arabia has insisted that the UN keeps LGBT rights out of its development goals (LINK)

We ask you the readers what do you think of this situation?

Policing Board publishes update reports on LGB and Transgender human rights recommendations

23/06/2015 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

Following the publication in 2012 of the Human Rights Thematic Review on the policing with and for people who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual (LGB) and/or Transgender, the Policing Board has now published two reports on how the 18 recommendations made by the Review are being implemented by the PSNI.

The Review looked at how the PSNI engage with LBG and Transgender individuals across a range of circumstances – as members of the public generally; as victims of crime; as suspects; and as employees or potential employees.

Chair of the Policing Board Anne Connolly said: “The Board recognises the positive progress made by the PSNI in this area since we published our Thematic Review in 2012. We know, however, that many LGB and Transgender people in Northern Ireland continue to be the target of hate crimes which can have a devastating impact upon their lives, their families and the wider community. Hate crime is a wider societal issue that cannot be tackled by the police alone yet the police play a critical role in a victim’s experience.

Despite increasing budgetary pressures, the police must therefore continually seek to improve their response, to bring more offenders to justice and to build confidence in people to report incidents and we welcome the fact that tackling hate crime is a strategic priority for PSNI.”

Ends
For further information, please contact the Northern Ireland Policing Board’s Communications Office on 07801738795.

Notes to editors

To view the update report on LGB people click here and the for update report on Transgender people click here.
To view the 2012 report, click here.
In recognition of the fact that gender identity is in no way connected with or related to sexual orientation, a commitment was made in the thematic review that any further reporting on transgender issues would be separate from LGB. Thus two update reports have been produced, one reporting on policing with and for transgender individuals and one reporting on policing with and for LGB individuals.

Notes to editors ends.