LGBTQIA+ hate crimes set to become aggravated offences

This new law would mean that hate crimes targeting a person’s gender identity, sexuality or disability will carry a higher penalty

BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY PEXELS 

In a new proposed law, hate crimes which target people on the grounds of their sexuality or gender identity are set to become aggravated offences. This new law will also make hate crimes which target a person’s disability an aggravated offence too. 

The amendment to the Crimes and Policing Bill, which is currently at the report stage in the Lords and is yet to be signed into law, will mean that hate crimes targeting a person’s gender identity, sexuality, or disability will carry a higher penalty. 

Galop, an LGBTQIA+ anti-abuse charity, called this a “landmark step” for LGBTQIA+ and disabled victims of hate crime. “Galop’s services are seeing consistent rises in LGBT+ victims and survivors seeking support for hate crime, yet our national hate crime helpline is currently unfunded. We know the deep and lasting impact that anti-LGBT+ hate has on our community, and we’re pleased that this change in law will finally reflect the severity and impact of these crimes,” the charity wrote in a statement. 

Right now, hate crimes which target a person’s gender identity, sexuality or disability can be acknowledged with an “uplift” which increases the sentence on a broader charge like assault. With this new amendment, these hate crimes will be defined charges within their own right, which come with a higher maximum sentencing penalty. This new law will bring anti-LGBTQIA+ hate crimes in line with hate crimes targeting a person’s race or religion, which already have defined charges. 

“Anti-LGBT+ hate crimes should never have been treated differently under the law. This change sends a clear message that anti-LGBT+ hate is just as serious and deserving of justice as crimes motivated by religious or racial hate,” Galop added. 

This amendment was originally laid out in the House of Commons by Rachel Taylor MP in 2025, but was withdrawn after the government committed to laying one. Making these hate crimes an aggravated offence was in the manifesto commitment of the Labour Government. In the last year, there were 21,000 hate crimes against LGBTQIA+ people. 

Stonewall CEO Simon Blake said: “This is a major step in the journey of LGBTQ+ equality. Putting hate crime against LGBTQ+ people on the same footing as religious and racial hate crime has always been the right thing to do. It sends a powerful message that LGBTQ+ people deserve equal access to justice.”

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