What does a homophobic hate incident look like?
A sexual orientation hate crime or non-crime hate incident is where someone is targeted due their actual or perceived sexual orientation.
No two hate incidents are the same but they may include the following:
- Verbal abuse and name-calling
- Physical attack
- Graffiti or other deliberate damage to property
- Written or recorded threats
- Cyber Bullying
If you see someone being targeted, and you think it is because of their sexual orientation, you can report it as an incident, even if the victim has not done so.
These incidents don’t just affect the lives of those involved but affect their friends, families, the local community and society as a whole.
If hate incidents are not reported those who target others will feel their behaviour is totally accepted and they may continue to abuse others.
