UK Black Pride's 2022 IDAHOBIT Statement

The “international” in IDAHOBIT must not prevent the UK from looking at itself in the mirror.

In the UK we’ve seen an alarming rise in hate crimes against LGBTQI+ people, with Galop’s 2021 report finding that 64% of the LGBTQ people they surveyed had experienced anti-LGBTQI+ violence or abuse.

Our own 2021 report, We Will Be Heard, found that a general feeling of unsafety in public has impacted the mental health and wellbeing of our trans and non-binary siblings, as they continue to avoid public bathrooms, gyms and sports groups.

Islamophobia in the media and across British society is impacting our Asian and Asian British siblings, and those who are read as Muslim whether or not they are: 70% avoid certain streets because of feeling unsafe and 55% adjust the way they dress in public.

As the UK Government looks for ever more performative ways to blow its own trumpet about LGBTQI+ rights on the international stage, it’s worth reminding them – and everyone – that the UK is an unsafe place for LGBTQI+ people, especially Black people and people of colour.

UK Black Pride would like to see more resources dedicated to the meaningful support of diverse LGBTQI+ communities; robust protections for trans and non-binary people, people of colour and those perceived as Muslim; and more funding delivered to diverse LGBTQI+ communities and the organisations that serve them across the UK.

We should shout about how bad it is to discriminate. We should also do something about it.

UK Black Pride