Fear driving gays from the city

Jul 31 2007 by David Bartlett, Liverpool Daily Post

GAYS and lesbians are leaving Liverpool in droves because of homophobic attitudes in the city, it was claimed last night.

Cllr Steve Radford, leader of the Liberals and co-chairman of the Gay Business Association, spoke out as the most comprehensive study of perceived safety in the gay community was debated at the city council.

A report found that the average homosexual adult living or working in Liverpool was likely to experience 15 crimes in their lifetime and 51% of respondents lived in fear of falling a victim of crime.

The document by Stormbreak, a specialist research agency, also found 59% of lesbian, gay, bi-sexuals and transgender people had experienced homophobic crime in Liverpool, which is 12% higher than London.

Cllr Radford said city leaders needed to take note and he called for concerted action from religious, business and civic quarters.

According to the report, verbal abuse made up the highest percentage of homophobic crime, followed by physical assault, threats of violence, and damage to their home.

Eight percent of respondents said they had been sexually assaulted and 14% said they had threats to their life.

The main perpetrators of the crime were said to be youths or teenagers. But 14% claimed to have been victimised by neighbours and 5% by family members.

Crime was most feared in Belle Vale, Toxteth and Anfield. The safest areas were identified as Mossley Hill, Aigburth and Grassendale.

“The response of schools to homophobic bullying was commonly perceived to be one of effectively blaming and even, on occasions, penalising the victim for being gay,” said the report.

The report made a number of recommendations which are currently being incorporated.

Cllr Radford said the response that was needed was more profound than appointing specialist officers or creating a new policy.

“It’s my personal concern, particularly where schools have a strong religious tradition, many of them are not taking the need to protect young gay men from discrimination seriously.”

He said whatever the theological beliefs of leaders they needed to set aside to tackle the “rabid homophobia” in the city.

He said the fact 14% had been abused by a neighbour showed how widespread the hate crime problem was and it helped explain why so many gay men and lesbians left Liverpool.

He estimated that 90% of the homosexual people he knew when he moved to Liverpool 30 years ago had moved away from the area.

Chief Inspector Pam Foster, of the force com- munity relations depart- ment, said the force had introduced a dedicated hate crime investigation unit in March.

davidbartlett