Government commitment is one step closer to giving LGBTQ+ people equal protections they deserve

After years of campaigning by Stonewall and other LGBTQ+ organisations, the government have today committed in Parliament to bring penalties for anti-LGBTQ+ and disability hate crime in line with sentencing for attacks on religious and racial minorities.

Stonewall worked with Rachel Taylor MP, Labour for North Warwickshire and Bedworth, to introduce the amendment - New Clause 122 to the Crime and Policing Bill. Supported by MPs from across Labour, Lib Dems and the Green Party, this important amendment makes anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-disability hate crimes aggravated offences – where the incident is proven to be motivated by that prejudice.

Equality for LGBTQ+ people 

Once the Bill has passed all stages of parliamentary approval, this important amendment will ensure LGBTQ+ and disabled people have the same protections as people who face other forms of hate crime, with stronger sentences that act as a deterrent to people committing these offences. Currently, any crime can be prosecuted as a hate crime if the offender showed or was motivated by hostility based on race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or transgender identity.

However, not all these offences would be considered ‘aggravated’. In 2021, the Law Commission proposed this be changed to include anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-disability hate crimes. The Labour Party manifesto in 2024 committed the Government to making this change.

Stonewall has long campaigned for this through our Hold My Hand campaign - we supported politicians working on the Bill and secured cross-party support from over 100 MPs.

Simon Blake, CEO of Stonewall, said: 

Making anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime an aggravated offence is an important milestone towards achieving equality for LGBTQ+ people under the law, putting sentencing on an equal footing with religious and racial hate.

Yesterday we moved one step closer to giving LGBTQ+ people equal protections they rightly deserve. I am delighted the government have made a commitment to bring in this change when the Bill reaches the House of Lords, and we will work tirelessly to hold them to their word. We are very grateful to Rachel Taylor MP for driving this work in Parliament, particularly at a time when many LGBTQ people are feeling increasingly under threat.”

Find out more 

At Stonewall, we're committed to delivering legislative change which makes a difference to the lives of LGBTQ+ people. Read more about our campaigns here.