Advert: Have your say, take the LGF full circle survey online NOW!

3 in 5 of us have been beaten up

Lesbian,gay and bisexual people remain a target for violent attacks because of our sexuality, with the problem worsened by fear of further repercussions if such attacks are reported.

3 in 5 of us have been beaten up

Because the LGF knew that under reporting of homophobic hate crime was a problem throughout the UK,we undertook our own research in Manchester’s Gay Village. Strikingly, 93% of you felt there was a need to have designated support staff for the LGBT Community.

“Within amonth of coming out to my parents, I spent the night in A&E after being attacked outside a gay nightclub by four guys. It was like “hello,welcome to the gay world”… and I’ve still got the scars as a reminder. Even now, I feel slightly wary about being openly gay in certain places and situations, although I’ve made sure that it hasn’t stopped me fromgoing out. It shouldn’t have to be this way.”

One young man’s experience.

Following research with local LGBT people in 2005,The Lesbian and Gay Foundation was successful in campaigning for a dedicated LGBT Liaison Officer to provide a regular weekly service at the home of the LGF. The UK’s first ever LGBT Police Support team based at the LGF’s offices in the heart of the LGBT community now operates a police surgery every Thursday at 6pm, helping with any issues that the LGBT community need support with, particularly for LGBT people who have traditionally felt uneasy about calling the police or asking for their support in the past. Issues such as Hate Crime, domestic violence, bullying, nuisance neighbours, homophobia are all areas that this service is specifically designed to deal with.

  • Our health and support services also include a counselling service, helpline advice service, substance misuse project and sex workers project.
  • 11,982 people walked through our doors to receive crisis intervention, work in partnership or simply to ask for information, advice or training.

“We’re still aware that Hate Crime is vastly under-reported and we need the LGBT community to help us obtain an even clearer picture of Hate Crime across Greater Manchester.The Lesbian and Gay Foundation has always played a vital role in enabling us to provide invaluable additional methods to communicate crime prevention messages and encourage the reporting of hate crime to LGBT communities in the area.
GreaterManchester PC and LGBT Liaison Officer SamTennant