Sexual Orientation Hate Crimes, or sometimes known as Homophobic Hate Crimes, occur when someone is targeted for their sexual orientation.

This could be because you identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or any other sexual orientation.

Victims of Sexual Orientation Hate Crimes may face additional barriers after experiencing the incident such as:

Normalising Incidents

If incidents happen often then people may ‘normalise’ it and attribute it to an expected everyday experience.

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Fear

LGB+ people may be concerned about being ‘outed’ by the police if they report homophobic/biphobic hate crime.

Even if they are ‘out’ to family and friends, they may fear their identity being revealed to the wider community.

Some people may be fearful about the situation becoming worse if they decide to report.

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Lack of Trust in Police and Criminal Justice Agencies

Due to a history of tensions and prejudice, and despite modern improvements in training and diversity, some LGB+ groups fear that they will not be taken seriously or will be seen as wasting police time.

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Lack of awareness of what a Hate Crime is

Many people are unaware of what a Hate Crime is, and how the abuse, bullying, hostility or prejudice they have endured could be classed as a criminal offence.

If you are worried about reporting a Hate Crime you can talk to Victim Support first who can listen and talk to you about your options.

You can choose to remain anonymous and will not have to give any personal details if you do not feel comfortable.