Do you know that feeling? The one where you’ve arrived home, opened your front door and then hear the reassuring click as the door closes behind you.
It’s a simple sound that announces you’ve arrived at your safe space.
You’ve left the outside world behind. Maybe you had a ‘bad’ day dealing with competing priorities at work, or had to stand-up on a busy rush hour bus?
Sometimes your home may feel less like a safe space and more like a slice of chaotic family life. But it’s your family chaos, and it’s underpinned by the bonds of love you all have for each other.
Miraculously the brew when you arrive home soon relegates your ‘bad’ day to a distant memory. Then with a few chores done, if you’re lucky you may just get an hour or two of time to relax before you do it all again the next day.
If this is what life is like in your home, you have a valuable family safe space.
Now imagine standing on the same bus and sensing people are judging you.
Then think about living a life when a walk down any street, at any time, can result in a verbal or physical attack simply because someone else feels entitled to judge you, hate you or even hurt you. Maybe you sense you’re being overlooked for promotion at work, or you start to experience bullying that some people like to call ‘banter’.
Maybe it’s a crowded lift, a supermarket queue, or just sitting in a waiting room that fills you with dread because they’re places where you feel trapped. Where you’re an easy target for abuse and hatred. And all you want to do is be yourself and walk your path in life – just like everyone else.
Try to imagine living this reality every day, and then when you put your key in your front door, nothing changes.
In fact, it gets worse, if you don’t live in a family safe space. Instead, members of your family refuse to accept who you are. As a result, you don’t feel secure in your own home, you can’t be yourself. You may even disguise your true self and start living a complex and soul-destroying double life in a bid to keep everyone happy, in a bid to make your life more liveable.
The verbal abuse from your family could well be accompanied by physical abuse.
It doesn’t feel good, does it?
Yet these are just a few of the everyday scenarios that may resonate to varying extents with many LGBTQ+ people.
Statistics only tell half the story
According to the Home Office Hate Crime Statistics for England and Wales to year ending March 2025 it’s possible to see the trend over time and number of hate crimes towards the LGBTQ+ community in England and Wales.
These statistics show a fall in reporting of hate crimes related to sexual orientation and transgender in the last reported year. Usually, a decrease is an encouraging sign. However, the reporting of hate crimes does vary and the recent decrease in official recording of hate crimes may be driven by an increase in under reporting.
Hate Crime Strand | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | %Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sexual Orientation | 15,668 | 22,317 | 21,306 | 19,127 | 18,702 | -2 |
Transgender | 2,510 | 3,920 | 4,477 | 4,258 | 3,809 | -11 |
Home Office Hate Crime, England and Wales, year ending March 2025
What is certain, is that the issues LGBTQ+ people are facing are still very real. This is why it is as important as ever for people, organisations and businesses to stand together to call out hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community.
Delivering LGBTQ+ supported accommodation for young people
At Llamau we embrace being part of the solution and this is why we are fully committed to supporting Pride. We do not judge people, instead using our energy to work with young people, women and children to help them improve their lives and wherever possible avoid becoming homeless.
Forty years’ experience has shown Llamau that tailored early intervention delivers the most effective life-changing support. It’s this understanding that led us to open Tŷ Pride, Wales’ first and to date only dedicated 24-hour accommodation and support project for homeless LGBTQ+ young people.
Rhiannon's Story
In our work we want everyone to have a door to their own safe space. We want everyone, including members of our LGBTQ+ community to live in a world where they are safe, welcomed and encouraged to become valuable contributors to our world.
We are always deeply grateful for the support we receive – it’s allowed us to help over 165,000 people since 1986.
If you would like to become a Llamau supporter, you can donate or apply to become a volunteer below.
Any support will be truly appreciated. Thank you.
