Your guide on responding to LGBTQ+ hate crimes Warning: The contents of this resource may be sensitive, please be prepared for mentions of violence against LGBTQ+ people. Contents 1. Welcome to your anti-hate crime guide 2. About hate crimes 3. What is considered a hate crime? 4. Types of hate crimes 5. Why you should report a hate incident 6. Third party reporting centres in Greater Manchester Between 75% and 90% of abuse experienced by LGBTQ+ people goes unreported. Let’s change that. 1. Welcome to your anti-hate crime guide Manchester Pride launched an anti-hate crime campaign, I Choose Kindness, as a priority for 2023. The aim is to empower our communities and allies to respond to hate crimes through education and by pledging their kindness to those affected. Use this resource to learn about why hate crimes happen and identify whether something is a hate crime or not. Sometimes writing down incidents in an evidence sheet can make things easier when you are asked to recall specific details about an incident, you have it written down in front of you and you can share it with support services. This guide is yours to share with friends, family and colleagues so they are also up to date and able to show their support to those affected by hate crimes. No one has the right to abuse you for who you are. You have a right to be respected and to express yourself free from abuse. If you do face homophobic, biphobic or transphobic abuse, you have a right to expect authorities and support organisations to be on your side. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) have a comprehensive Hate Crime Plan established in 2020 which was created following a consultation with people in Greater Manchester to address specific concerns. The priorities of this plan include appointing a Hate Crime Co-Ordinator at GMP, increasing the amount of hate crimes charged by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and empowering the community to hold the GMCA to account. 2. About hate crimes Greater Manchester Police (GMP) defines a hate crime as any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person’s: * Race * Religion * Sexual orientation * Disability * Or any crime motivated by hostility or prejudice against a person who is transgender. LGBTQ+ incidents are still identified as such even if the victim is not LGBTQ+, but the person abusing you believes that they are. in the 2010 Equality Act HIV Positive discrimination falls under discrimination against disability and is included in all releavnt legislation. The impact of hate crimes can cause a feeling of fear that prevents people feeling able to be themselves. For that reason, Manchester Pride and Greater Manchester Combined Authority have partnered to combat hate crime and help people who face it. In the year ending March 2022, UK hate crimes against sexual orientation rose by 41% and hate crimes against transgender people rose by 56%. This has to end. 3. What is considered a hate crime? Hate crimes target people because of who they are. That includes people abusing you for being lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, non-binary, intersex or asexual. It also includes abuse based on someone’s race, faith or disability. Hate crimes can be carried out against someone in the same group as the offender - e.g. a gay person can recognise a closeted gay person on a dating app and threaten to out them. 4. Types of hate crime Blackmail, Harrassment, Online abuse, Verbal abuse, Physical abuse, Encouraging abuse of others Harassment Harassment is when a person behaves in a way that’s intended to cause you distress or alarm, on more than one occasion. It can be the same type of behaviour or different types of behaviour on each occasion. Common harrassment charges include: * Domestic Violence * Elder or Dependent Adult Abuse * Workplace Harassment * Sexual Harassment * Civil Harassment * Criminal Harassment * Cyberbullying or Cyberstalking The harasser does not have to intend to cause harassment in order to commit this crime, so long as a reasonable person would feel harassed by their actions. This behaviour is a crime under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. Harassment can have overlap with other incidents of hate including encouraging abuse, repeated verbal abuse and more. The key is that harassment includes repeated behaviour that makes the victim feel distressed. Example: Someone repeatedly asks you invasive and personal questions about your sexuality even after you ask them to stop. Blackmail Blackmail is “the action of demanding payment or another benefit from someone in return for not revealing compromising or damaging information about them.” It is a crime for someone to demand things from you under threat of spreading information about you. As well as obvious demands such as money, blackmailers can sometimes make implicit and unspoken threats towards you, such as suggesting gifts or asking for favours. It is not advisable to give them any money, as it’s likely that they will continue to try and extort money from you. Instead, get confidential advice from a local reporting centre. You can head to page 15 for local third party reporting centres near you. Example: Someone finds out you are gay, and threatens to out you if you don’t pay them £500. Encouraging abuse It is illegal to call for others to commit crimes against LGBTQ+ people. That includes words, pictures, videos, and even music. It also includes information posted on websites. Illegal hate messages might include calling for homophobic, transphobic or biphobic violence or depictions of it being carried out. This is something that can be prominent online and on social media. It is important to always report accounts that encourage abuse to you, someone else, or a group of people to the relevant social media platforms. Example: Someone posts a video online saying that Trans people are all sinister and should be attacked. Hate material online is recorded by police as a ‘hate crime’ when a crime defined in law is committed with hate motivation. While you may come across a lot of material on the internet that offends you, a small proportion of it is actually illegal. When online material is hate motivated but does not meet the threshold for a criminal offence, it may be recorded as a ‘Non-crime hate incident’. UK laws are written to make sure that people can speak and write, even offensive material, without being prosecuted for their views. Parliament has tried to define laws in a way that balances our freedom of expression with the right to be protected from hate crime. It can be an offence to incite hatred online in the UK on the grounds of a person’s race, religion or sexual orientation. There is no similar offence relating to disability or gender identity. The content of a website can also be illegal when it threatens or harasses a person or a group of people. If this is posted because of hostility based on race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or if a person is transgender then it is considered to be a hate crime in UK law. Social media platforms should be held to account and remove any hateful content, and you can also tag the LGBT+ anti-abuse charity @GalopUK who will help to get the material removed where possible. Remember your rights: Indecent, grossly offensive, threatening, false, obscene or menacing communications may be an offence under the Malicious Communications Act 1988 or the Communications Act 2003. However, the threshold for prosecution is very high. Not all incidents will lead to prosecution. Example: Someone insults and incites hatred towards you in a Tweet because of your sexual orientation. Verbal abuse There are laws to protect you from verbal abuse and you have a right to get it recorded as a hate crime by the police. If someone uses threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour towards you, that is a crime under the Public Order Act. If someone uses threatening or abusive words or behaviour that are likely to cause alarm or distress, even if not aimed at anyone in particular, it would still be a crime under section 5 of the Public Order Act. If someone abuses you with the intention of making you feel alarmed or distressed, they are committing a section 4A Public Order offence. Verbal abuse is still a hate incident if the offender says that they are joking. If someone who you don’t know that well (regardless of their identity or orientation) jokingly uses a slur against you or in your presence, and this is something that offends you, it’s still a hate incident. Example: You’re a woman in public holding hands with another woman, and someone shouts a homophobic slur at you from across the street. Physical abuse Physical assault includes pulling or pushing someone, punching, grabbing, spitting at them and throwing things. If you’ve been a victim of physical assault you should report it, and depending on the level of the violence used, a perpetrator may be charged. Physical assault includes unwanted physical contact such as hitting that leaves slight or no injury. This would be common assault. Violence that causes marked injuries, such as cuts, is actual bodily harm. Violence that causes very serious injuries is grievous bodily harm. If you have been physically hurt, it can be useful to take a photo of any visible injuries. It may later be used as evidence. You can also apply for financial compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. Physical assault may be alluded to in threats and intimidation verbally or online, blackmail or combined with verbal abuse. GMP make no specific mention of sexual violence as a hate crime, so it is likely hate-related sexual violence should be reported as a physical assault. Example: A person thinks you are dressed too feminine as a man, and begins throwing things at you and threatens to attack you. 5. Why you should report a hate incident The recent increase in reported hate incidents could be down to improved knowledge and identification of what constitutes a hate crime, the reopening of many third-party reporting centres post-lockdown, or increased trust in police. By reporting incidents, the police, charities and housing providers can take action against the perpetrator and support victims and witnesses. When you report hate crimes, you are making a bigger difference than you may think. It not only helps you get support, but it also helps us make your local area safer. Most hate crimes aren’t reported, and your reports help organisations to understand how hate crime affects your community and then tackle the problem. 6. Third party reporting centres in Greater Manchester If you don't feel comfortable reporting a hate incident to the police there are a number of different organisations and community groups in your area that you might be familiar with, who are also third party reporting centres. All of these are free to access, and serve the local area listed. There are national organisations such as True Vision that accept third party reporting and will provide support. Bolton * Bolton at Home has UCAN centres across the town for confidential reporting and advice. * Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Bolton is a Hindu temple on Deane Rd. * View the full list provided by Bolton Council here. Bury * All people can report hate crimes at Bury Active Women’s Centre. BAWC also offer a confidential advice service via appointments or drop-ins. * Bury People First provide Hate and Mate Crime support for people who also have learning difficulties. * Millgate Shopping Centre. * View the full list provided by Bury Council here. Oldham * The Pennine Mencap is a forward-thinking Learning Disability, Autism and Mental Health charity. * Keyring is an adult social care programme. * View the full list provided by Oldham Council here. * Find out more about hate crime response in your area in the Oldham, Rochdale and Tameside Action Together site. Rochdale * You can report hate crimes directly via the True Vision website. * You can find out more about hate crime response in your area in the Oldham, Rochdale and Tameside Action Together site. * Visit Rochdale Council’s Hate Crime resources here. Salford * Pendleton Together aims to create a safe space for everyone and accepts reporting of hate incidents. * Gaddum has been supporting Greater Manchester for 200 years and offers a specific Salford-based support programme. * Visit Salford Council’s page on Hate Crime here. Stockport * PLUS is a grass roots social group which was founded under the original name ‘People Like Us Stockport’ in March 2004. * Stockport Mind. * Visit Stockport Council’s page on Hate Crime here. Tameside * Infinity Initiatives is a community center with a free food corner, quiet * corners and comfortable meeting areas where you can report hate incidents. * LGBT OutLoud. * You can also reach out to Tameside, Glossop and Oldham Mind. * Tameside Central Library. * You can find out more on Tameside Council's website. Trafford * You can report hate incidents to Trafford Housing Trust. * Partington Library and Wellbeing Centre. * Limelight health and wellbeing hub in the Old Trafford area. * View the full list provided by Trafford Council here. Wigan * Compassion in Action is a community centre at Patrick house in Leigh. * Wigan Youth Zone is available for young people agd 8-19 (up to 25 for those with additional needs) * Refugees and asylum seekers in Wigan can contact the Support for Wigan Arrivals Project (SWAP). * Find out more on Wigan Council's website. Central Manchester * Europia supports European nationals in Greater Manchester. * Wai Yin Society has become one of the largest BME community centres in the UK. Other third party reporting centres: * Manchester Cathedral * LGBT Foundation * Afflecks * Find out more on the Manchester City Council's website. * Universities and South Manchester * In Fallowfield, you can report hate crimes to The Place at Platt Lane in Fallowfield Library Other third party reporting centres: * Manchester Student Homes * University of Manchester Report and Support * Manchester Metropolitan University Report and Support * University of Salford Report and Support