Hate crimes against queer people in Sheffield are at an all time high, according to the CEO of SAYiT.
Heather Paterson, CEO of the charity, said they had over 100 reports to their service since their Third Party Hate Crime Report Centre opened one year ago that the police would otherwise be unaware of.
She said: “Our service allows the queer community to come forward if they’ve experienced hate.
“They know they’re speaking to LGBTQ+ professionals so they won’t face any more discrimination, hate, or trauma.”
SAYit pass the information from reports on to the South Yorkshire Police, which allows them to build a bigger picture on the amount of anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes in Sheffield.
However, over 90% of hate crimes against queer people in the UK are still not reported.
SAYiT provides practical support to LGBTQ+ youth, host parent and carer groups and training to organisations on how to address discrimination.
14th to 21st October is Hate Crime Awareness Week, which aims to tackle hate crimes in all its forms and #SpreadLoveNotHate.
The campaign was introduced by Stop Hate UK, a leading anti-hate and anti-discrimination organisation for corporate, statutory, and community sectors.
Ms Paterson claims, after her 24 years of experience working on LGBGTQ+ issues, that LGBTQ+ hate is worse than ever in Sheffield.
She said: “I almost feel like I have to give a disclaimer or content warning every time I open my mouth to talk about being a queer person in the UK at the moment.
“You just have to look at our government and the media, and the level that queer people are being attacked currently is just obscene.
“It’s a political tactic to distract from the cost of living crisis, the climate crisis, a broken NHS and it’s much easier for the government to attack queer people than address these big issues.”
She also said working on their service has shown her how hate crimes can come in different forms, including Holocaust Glorification, misconduct in public office, and ‘revenge pornography’.
She said: “This just shows the range of ways hate manifests itself in, it’s not just someone being shouted at or being punched.
“I think when people think of hate crimes, they think of one type based on their own experiences or assumptions but this has really opened my mind.”
In honour of Trans Day of Remembrance on 20th November, SAYiT are running an event in the Winter Gardens in the city centre from 5.30pm to 7pm.
Trans Day of Remembrance has been observed annually on November 20th as a day to memorialise those who have been murdered as a result of transphobia.