Gay and bisexual people in Scotland face rise in number of hate crimes
Incidents relating to sexuality now make up a third of all hate crimes across the country.
Last updated 14th Jun 2023
There is a stark warning gay and bisexual people are more likely to be the victim of a hate crime in Scotland than a decade ago.
Figures from the Home Office show the number of incidents relating to sexuality made up 33% of all cases last year across the county - up from 16% in 2013/14.
Ari Hamilton is the president of Strathclyde LGBT+ and told Forth 1: "I have been out for more than a decade and for years I never worried about going out in public.
"However, over the last couple of years I feel that the tolerance towards our community has dropped and I am fearful of being attacked when I go out with my fiance.
"There has been a lot of discussion around trans rights recently which I believe fuels an anger towards LGBT+ people."
There were 55 charges reported last year against transgender people.
This is the second highest figure since the legislation for reporting violence against the trans community was introduced in 2010.
Ari added: "We desperately need to be teaching children from a young age about gay and bisexual relationships so they do not grow up to hate themselves for who they are.
"Something age appropriate would really help to improve mental health and reduce rates of suicide amongst people in the community."