Official figures have shown that homophobic hate crimes have reached their highest level on record in Scotland.
According to annual statistics from the Crown Office, there were reportedly 1,486 crimes motivated by sexual orientation in 2019-20, up 24% from 1,194 in 2018-19.
The increase in areas such as Aberdeen and Dundee was even greater, with a 68% increase in the former and 41% increase in the latter.
The 1,194 figure is a significant increase from the 452 homophobic attacks in 2010-11, when hate crimes were included in legislation. With the exception of 2014-2015, hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community have increased year on year.
Statistics also revealed that sexual orientation aggravated crime is the second most commonly reported type of hate crime in Scotland after racially-motivated attacks.
Deejay Bullock, founder of Aberdeen-based LGBTQ+ support charity Four Pillars, told Press and Journal that he was “very alarmed” by the increase of homophobic hate crimes in Scotland.
“I don’t believe this can be attributed to increase reporting, which means there is a current increase in hate crimes on the LGBT+ community,” he said.
Almost half of the hate crimes committed on trans people were violent, with 46 per cent being offences like assault and grievous bodily harm. For homophobic hate crimes, 40 per cent were violent in 2018.
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