Website targets LGBT abuse

A website where people can report homophobic abuse and violence has gone live, with those behind the initiative hoping it can reduce the amount of intimidation felt by LGBT people.

The website — stophatecrime.ie — was launched last night by the minister of state with responsibility for new communities, culture, and equality, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin.

The website is an initiative by Glen (Gay and Lesbian Equality Network), which said people could register any abuse they had suffered on the site anonymously, but they could also leave contact details if they wanted to.

Craig Dwyer of Glen said: “We know from research that violence and harassment towards LGBT [lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender] people is still experienced,” he said.

“We want to say that you can walk down a street in any town or village, proudly holding the hand of your partner.

“Sometimes LGBT people think this [threats and abuse] is part and parcel of being who they are, but we are saying in this campaign ‘no, you don’t have to put up with it’.”

He also said the website could act as “a bridge” between the LGBT community and the gardaí, pointing out that last year the Garda Pulse system logged just 17 crimes motivated by homophobia, whereas a 2012 EU report showed that one third of 1,625 respondents said they had been threatened or had experienced violence in the previous five years.

Mr Dwyer said any incident of intimidation or violence should be reported to the gardai, but the website could also be used to map incidents so gardai could be notified of any patterns.

The launch of the Hate Crime campaign and the anonymous, third party reporting website came after a blog written by a student in University College Cork went viral.

The piece by Olan Harrington expressed his fear and anxiety about continuing to hold his boyfriend’s hand outside of the ‘safe space’ of the UCC campus.