‘It's Something You Just Have to Ignore’: Understanding and Addressing Contemporary Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Safety Beyond Hate Crime Paradigms

Abstract

In common with the experiences of many other groups -and despite changing legal landscapes and increasing recognition within social policy of different groups' needs -LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans) people continue to face discrimination and abuse, and improving safety continues to be a key touchstone for policy makers and practitioners engaging with LGBT lives. Based on evidence from Count Me In Too, an LGBT participatory research project in Brighton & Hove, UK, the paper challenges approaches to dealing with LGBT safety that narrowly focus on reporting within a hate crime paradigm, and recognises the shift towards multi-agency approaches to LGBT safety. Our evidence shows that many LGBT people differentially recognise or do not recognise abuse, instead 'normalising' much of the abuse they experience in order to carry on with day-to-day life. By focusing on the effects of abuse and how it is dealt with by individuals and communities, rather than focusing on what constitutes abuse, we show the importance of addressing LGBT safety in ways that move beyond questions of criminal justice and the reporting of hate crime. We argue for a broader social policy framework that uses multi-agency approaches to community safety for those who experience abuse on the basis of their sexual and/or gender identities, which should attend to how safety services may provide more appropriate contexts of care and support, and which should build upon relevant knowledges within LGBT communities. Fostering solidarities among LGBT people may also empower them to work towards broader social transformation.

Harassment Patterns and Risk Profile in Spanish Trans Persons

“…Nevertheless, in the case of trans participants, the limitation is not an overrepresentation as often happens in other pattern studies. On the contrary, a risk of data underrepresentation exists with this population since trans people are more likely to perceive harassment as normal in some situations (Browne, Bakshi, & Lim, 2011). Third, comparisons to some studies framing the discussion of results need to be cautiously considered.…”

‘No place for hate’: community-led research and the geographies of Nottingham citizens’ hate crime commission

“…Some feel that it distracts from the everyday, ongoing nature of prejudice by focusing on episodic crimes or incidents (Hall, 2019). There are also those who doubt whether the law can change societal norms, or whether encouraging people to think of themselves as victims is the right approach to empowering and enabling citizens (Browne et al, 2011). We were aware of these concerns and tried to address them in the questionnaire, asking people how regularly they experience hate crime, while we made sure that our recommendations spanned the police, the council and local communities.…”

“…Put simply, the question is: can law be the solution to hate crime (Moran, 2001)? For some, hate crime reporting can only be one part of a broader strategy to deal with the experience of hate (Browne, Bakshi, & Lim, 2011). There are also concerns about the separation of hate crimes into separate identity strands, which fail to consider how those strands might intersect (Mason-Bish, 2015).…”

The One-Child Policy, Elder Care, and LGB Chinese: A Social Policy Explanation for Family Pressure

“…For social policy scholars and practitioners, culture tells an important part of the story but offers few options to address the problem. As others have suggested, a broader social policy framework is necessary to understand the wide range and depth of problems facing LGT people worldwide (Browne et al, 2011;Smith, 2005). As such, this article posits a social policy explanation, demonstrating how two unrelated and non-LGB specific polices have had a disproportionate and negative (if unintended) effect on LGB Chinese: the one-child policy and eldercare.…”