Homophobic hate crime : the Gay British Crime Survey 2008

S. Dick

Lesbian and gay people experience a whole range of offences motivated by homophobia, from harassment to serious sexual and physical assaults. One in five have fallen victim to a homophobic hate crime or incident in the last three years. Often these incidents occur repeatedly and around people?s homes. And it is not just lesbian and gay people who become victims of homophobic crime, but their children, friends and family too. There have been some distinct steps by the police and the criminal justice system to tackle hate crime in recent years, but it is clear that far more needs to be done. Three quarters of those who experience homophobic hate crimes and incidents still do not report them to the police, convinced that there is no point. This document reports the results of the 2008 national survey of the extent and nature of homophobic hate crime.