‘Hate’ is an everyday reality for gay people, says report

Some gay people in sleepy villages and rural towns are being relentlessly bullied because of their sexuality – leaving some too scared to leave the house, an expert has warned.

A new study suggests hate crime is an “everyday reality” for many lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender people who said harassment and verbal abuse is “part and parcel” of their lives.

But they are not reporting it because they fear police won’t take them seriously or they might be ‘outed’ to their families, according to a report into hate crime by Dr Stevie-Jade Hardy of Leicester University.