The number of hate crimes committed against trans people in London has risen in recent years, figures show – as charities raise concern about the “harmful implications” of the recent Supreme Court ruling.
By Sonja Tutty, Data Reporter
The number of hate crimes committed against trans people in London has risen in recent years, figures show – as charities raise concern about the “harmful implications” of the recent Supreme Court ruling.
The court’s unanimous ruling, handed down on Wednesday, concluded the terms “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex.
It means a Gender Recognition Certificate does not change a person’s legal sex for the purposes of the Act.
The most recent data from the Home Office for the year to March 2024 shows the Met Police recorded 520 offences motivated by hostility or prejudice against transgender people or people perceived to be transgender.
It was an increase on the 412 transphobic crimes the year before, and from 240 five years prior.
Across England and Wales, transphobic hate crimes fell slightly from 4,889 in the year to March 2023, to 4,780 in the most recent year.
However, it has more than doubled from the 2,329 hate crimes recorded five years earlier.
The Home Office said there was an increase in harassment offences motivated by transphobia, while there was a fall in malicious communications offences and public fear, alarm or distress offences.
Responding to the figures, a government spokesperson said: “There remain strong protections in place for LGBT+ communities to live free from discrimination.
“There will be zero tolerance for hate crimes of any kind, and we will always support the police in taking the strongest possible action against the perpetrators of these abhorrent offences.”
While the Supreme Court ruling has been described as a “watershed” moment by campaigners, a statement from the LGBT Foundation said it is “deeply concerned at the widespread, harmful implications” of the ruling.
It added: “It is a complex ruling, but it is important to be reminded that the Supreme Court reaffirmed that the Equality Act protects trans people against discrimination, based on Gender Reassignment, and will continue to do so.”
Amnesty International similarly said it was “disappointing” with “potentially concerning consequences for trans people”.
The human rights charity added it is “important to stress that the court has been clear that trans people are protected under the Equality Act against discrimination and harassment”.
A spokesperson for the UK Government said it has always supported the protection of single-sex spaces based on “biological sex”.
They added: “This ruling brings clarity and confidence, for women and service providers such as hospitals, refuges, and sports clubs.”
