Lesbilicious - the web’s tastiest lesbian magazine

Home secretary Alan Johnson has called on victims of anti-gay hate crime to “blow the whistle” and report the abuse.

Speaking at an event in London on Wednesday (31 March), the home secretary launched Stonewall’s new ‘plain English’ guide for victims of anti-gay hate crime that explains what homophobic crime is, why it should be reported and how to do so.

Johnson said: “Gay people have the same rights as everyone else to live in peace and security. Homophobic incidents have no place in a civilised, decent society. There are no extenuating circumstances.

“I welcome this excellent plain English guide that encourages gay men and lesbians to report hate crimes. It sends a clear signal that there’s no place in a civilised society for such hatred. Gay people should have the same right as everyone else to justice, to live their lives without fear.”

More than 100,000 copies of the Stonewall guide will be distributed in bars, clubs, student unions, police stations and Citizens Advice Bureaux. It is also available online at the Stonewall website.

Stonewall chief executive Ben Summerskill said he hoped that the guide would “encourage more people to report anti-gay hate crime, and will help the police to respond and target their work more effectively”.

In addition to launching the guide, the home secretary pledged that the Labour Party would commit to fighting the ‘Waddington amendment’ to the Criminal Justice Bill, which attempts to dilute new protections against incitement to hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation.

According to a poll conducted for Stonewall by YouGov, one in five gay people have experienced homophobic hate crime in the past three years.

Posted in: Campaigns & Politics |