Anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime one step closer to being aggravated offence
LGBTQ+ hate crimes are one step closer to becoming aggravated offences. (Canva)
In a win for LGBTQ+ rights, the House of Lords passed an amendment that will see LGBTQ+ hate crimes made an aggravated offence.
On Wednesday (4 March), an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill passed the House of Lords.
The bill will bring hate crimes targeting LGBTQ+ and disabled people in-line with racially and religiously aggravated hate crimes, meaning they too will carry a higher maximum sentencing penalty.
It will now go to the Commons to consider changes, before it becomes law.
Stonewall CEO Simon Blake said the passing of the bill “sends a powerful message that LGBTQ+ people deserve equal access to justice”.
Blake added: “Effective advocacy matters now more than ever. Stonewall, and others, have campaigned tirelessly for this change; I am proud to see it one step closer to becoming a reality.”
Alongside higher sentences, anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes being treated as an aggravated offence will mean victims have more time to access justice.
Stonewall has campaigned tirelessly to ensure the amendment to the bill becomes law, most recently though its Hold My Hand campaign.
As per the BBC, Labour MP Rachel Taylor, who first put forward the amendment, said that between March 2024 and 2025 more than 30,000 hate crimes against people in England and Wales had been recorded by police as linked to their sexual orientation, transgender identity, or disability.
The amendment also covers victims targeted because of their sex.
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