Hate crimes against transgender people in Scotland rose 87% in the past year
Crimes aggravated by sexual orientation was the second most commonly reported type of hate crime, increasing by 10% in 2021-22 to 1,781.
A new Hate Crime report from the Crown Office shows there were 84 charges aggravated by transphobia in Scotland during 2021-22, compared with 45 the previous year.
Of crucial importance is that those numbers reflect incidents of people actually being charged, rather than all reports, so the true number of incidents is likely to be higher.
Many LGBTQ+ people do not report hate crimes. And many reported hate crimes aren’t charged.
The report confirmed that this “is the highest number of such charges reported since the legislation introducing this aggravation came into force in 2010.”
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (@COPFS) published their annual hate crime figures for Scotland today – it makes for grim reading for LGBT people.
Year on year trans identity aggravated charges up 87%
Year on year sexual orientation aggravated charges up 10% pic.twitter.com/83068eqmGj
— Scott Cuthbertson (@ScotCuthbertson) June 14, 2022
The report details that racially-aggravated incidents remain the most common form of hate crime in Scotland, with 3,107 charges filed over the period – a decline of 7% overall.
Meanwhile, hate crimes against people with disabilities rose by 44% to 666.
The report marks the first time these crimes have overtaken those aggravated by religious prejudice, of which there were 512.
Overall, the number of hate crimes charges reported was 5,640, marginally less – down 0.2% – than the 5,654 charges reported in 2020-21.
Hate crime legislation currently covers offences aggravated by a victim’s race, religion, disability, sexual orientation and transgender identity.
Stonewall Chief Executive, Nancy Kelley said of the report: “We know from @LGBTYS data that almost half of young trans people have been the victim of hate crime, and just over a quarter of cis LGB young people have experienced a hate crime. This isn’t the Scotland our children should be growing up in.”
Continuing: “For years LGBTQ+ lives, particularly trans lives, have been the subject of toxic debate in our media and politics.”
“Today’s figures show us that words have consequences. LGBTQ+ Scots deserve to be safe and live freely. We all have a part to play in making that possible.”
Trans hate crime charges have almost doubled in Scotland
45 charges in 2020-2021
84 charges in 2021-2022These aren’t reports. These are the ones where the police actually charged people
Hate crimes are noxiously difficult to charge. To get that far they had to be pretty wild. https://t.co/Svy8gWLRw8
— What The Trans!? (WhatThetrans.com) (@WhatTheTrans) June 14, 2022
Today, new official data on hate crime in Scotland paints a bleak picture for LGBTQ+ people, and is a wake up call for all of us. Data from @COPFS shows that the number of hate crimes against trans people has almost doubled year on year, after rising over the decade. pic.twitter.com/DvGw2Ow1J0
— Stonewall Scotland (@StonewallScot) June 14, 2022
Hate crimes that target people because of their sexual orientation have continued their apparently inexorable upward trend. This is the tip of the iceberg. Many LGBTQ+ people do not report hate crimes. Many reported hate crimes aren’t charged. pic.twitter.com/3Bu4V8izRO
— Nancy Kelley (@Nancy_M_K) June 14, 2022
For years LGBTQ+ lives, particularly trans lives, have been the subject of toxic debate in our media and politics. Today’s figures show us that words have consequences. LGBTQ+ Scots deserve to be safe and live freely. We all have a part to play in making that possible.
— Nancy Kelley (@Nancy_M_K) June 14, 2022