London : Sharp rise in reports of homophobic hate crime

When you walk around London are you subjected to physical or verbal abuse? Have you had a glass smashed in your face or been spat at for simply holding hands with your partner?

The chances are probably not, if your straight. But for thousands of people from the LGBTQ community it’s something they have to experience while going about their day to day lives.

According to the Metropolitan Police, the number of homophobic hate crimes being committed in London has doubled over the last five years – rising from 1156 to 2079 in the 12 months to February this year, itv.com reports.

Photo By אנדר-ויק (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons