When Being You Becomes a Problem: Sexuality, gender, disability and hate

This International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, the Association of Disabled Lawyers looks at phobia and hate crimes against LGBTQIA+ disabled people. The intersectionality between disability and sexuality can result in hate directed on both fronts and has dire consequences.

Assaults and abuse of LGBTQIA+ disabled people can have a different level of complexity and distress because they feel like they cannot discuss the abuse for fear of ‘coming out’ or the relationship not being taken seriously. LGBTQIA+ disabled people also face the problem of finding good support that recognises all aspects of their identity.

The impact of hate crime is devastating and targets the essence of a person’s identity. It is a growing threat to the safety and security of the LGBTQIA and disabled communities. According to Home Office Statistics, 155,841 hate crimes were reported to the police in 2022, with a rise of 41% for sexual orientation, 43% for disability and 56% for transgender persons in the previous year. These figures underestimate the accurate picture because of inadequate recording, a lack of trust in the police by affected individuals, or a lack of knowledge by either the individual or the police.

In this timely ADL webinar, our panellists will delve into what hate crime is and how it affects LGBTQIA and disabled individuals; what it means for the victims, what support is out there, how victims need to be better protected and look at how victims can find a way through the oppressive impact of these crimes.

The panellists attending this webinar are:

K. Jody Tobin (Chair)

Jody is the Events Coordinator at the Association of Disabled Lawyers. She is also an award-winning author, teacher, mentor and former police officer who has worked extensively in the LGBTQIA+ community and genres for over a decade. She has also taught equality and diversity at national writing conferences.

Jody is Gray's Inn Patrick Back Scholar and is due to begin her Bar Practice studies at the Inns of Court College of Advocacy in September 2023.

Jody's multifaceted understanding stemmed from her time as a police constable and lived experiences of being the long-term target of hate crime. She is a proud member of Victim Support's Hate Crime L.E.A.F forum.

Christina Warner

Christina is a family and animal protection barrister at 33 Bedford Row. Christina has raised awareness of the needs of LGBTQIA+ people, Latinx communities and disabled people accessing the family courts and promoting their rights through pro bono contributions to charities and projects. She is a pioneer in animal protection law and has fought to bring attention to the link between violence towards animals and children and domestic abuse.

Victim Support

Victim Support is an independent charity supporting people affected by crime and traumatic incidents in England and Wales. They provide specialist services to help people cope and recover and to empower them to ensure their voices are heard individually and collectively at a local and national level.