Hundreds of transphobic hate crimes recorded in Thames Valley

The data, which covers the year to March 2024, shows that Thames Valley Police recorded 200 offences motivated by hostility or prejudice against transgender people or people perceived to be transgender.

This is a fall on the 253 transphobic offences recorded last year, but a significant rise on the 81 recorded five years ago.

Nationally transphobic hate crimes fell slightly last year from 4,889 in the year to March 2023, and 4,780 in the most recent year, however this figure has more than doubled from the 2,329 recorded five years ago.

The release of the data comes just days after a ruling by the Supreme Court that the terms woman and sex in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex.

The ruling has been described as a "watershed moment" by campaigners, although the LGBT Foundation said it is "deeply concerned at the widespread, harmful implications" of the judgement.

The ruling means that a Gender Recognition Certificate does not change a person’s legal sex for the purposes of the Act.

The Home Office reported an increase in harassment offences motivated by transphobia, but a fall in malicious communications 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."

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