Use of the word gay to describe a person, event or object they don’t like or is in their minds dysfunctional can fuel prejudice, exacerbate homophobia and needs challenging. When we don’t challenge it, we usualise (see Keywords) homophobia and send an unspoken message that condones such language. Timing is crucial here. Where at all […]

Legally you are not required to however it is good practice to do so. If you do not know what is going on how can you deal with it? It is important to train staff in reporting effectively and consistently, and to have forms which are easy and quick to use. The best way of […]

It depends if you class homophobic/transphobic bullying as a hate crime when it happens at school. You will always have to use your own judgement on such matters. Some police forces have LGBT police liaison officers who have skill and knowledge in the area. Some forces are quite proactive and will work with schools and […]

Since the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry(1999), the UK criminal justice system has led the way on dealing with all forms of hate crime. Much of what we call bullying in school would be defined by the police as a hate incident or hate crime.  The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) defines a hate incident as: […]