Landmark hate crime review backs new LGBT+ protections – but ‘fails’ on misogyny

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A report carried out on behalf of the government has called for more protections for victims of anti-LGBT+ hate crimes – but has been criticised for not going far enough to tackle misogyny.

The Law Commission, which carried out the report, is an independent body that advises the government. Its recommendations come as anti-LGBT+ hate crimes have been on the rise.

In a report published Tuesday (7 December), the Commission recommended that victims of homophobic and transphobic hate crimes are given the same protections as victims of crimes based on race or religion.

It also recommended that disabled people are given these same protections.

As things stand, only stirring up hatred in respect of race, religion and sexual orientation is criminalised. This means that there is no equivalent offence for disability or transgender identity – something that should change following this report. Also, aggravated offences only cover crimes where race or religion is a factor.

“Hate crime laws don’t protect all five protected characteristics to the same degree,” the report reads.

“This current hierarchy of protection is widely seen as unfair and sends a distinctly negative message to victims of hate crimes on the basis of disability, sexual orientation and transgender identity. It also makes the laws needlessly complicated and is a cause of confusion.

“The Law Commission has recommended that across the various hate crime laws (including aggravated offences and stirring up offences) all protected characteristics should be treated equally. This would provide much greater protection for victims of disability and LGBT+ hate crime in particular.”

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Stonewall said in a statement that the recommendations “send out a clear message: you can believe what you like, but whipping up hatred against trans people is not okay”.

Today's @Law_Commission report is a huge leap forward for the safety of LGBTQ+ people in the UK