No Place for Hate Crime - National Union of Students

No Place for Hate
Chart 6 Proportion of students reporting
incidents of distribution or display of material
prejudiced against a sexual orientation
Gay
Lesbian
Bisexual
Other
Prefer not to say
Heterosexual
2%
1%
7%
13%
12%
15%
0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14% 16%
The majority of these cases involved graffiti in and
around the respondent’s college or university campus,
typically on toilet walls and lecture hall furniture.
“In lecture halls and rooms and on the tables there
are many vile and abusive words and pictures,
naming and threatening certain gay people on
them.”
“The male toilets in all areas of my college regularly
display racist and homophobic graffiti, as well as
that which is targeted at people with disabilities. Said
graffiti is removed eventually, but I have reported it
many times and it takes weeks for it to be removed. I
feel that this would not happen in a private institution
or workplace.”
“There’s something scrawled on the wall about
[how] gay people should be executed publicly and
that being gay is unnatural.”
“Mainly graffiti about X being gay, though sometimes
the [comments] are more offensive like, “Batty boys
must die.”
“There’s a big issue with the toilets. Abuse gets left
there and never cleaned up.”
A large number of these incidents also involved the
distribution of leaflets believed by respondents to have
homophobic overtones, many of which were religiously
affiliated. It was apparent from the qualitative data that
tensions often existed between LGBT students and
faith groups on campus and in the wider community.
While many respondents recognised the importance
of people of all backgrounds having freedom of
expression, some felt that distribution and display of
certain material encouraged intolerance.
“On campus and in town, [there is distribution]
of leaflets [which] on numerous occasions make
reference to my sexuality being wrong, curable and
evil.”
“Something about gay people burning in hell. The
reason I found it threatening is quite obvious.”
“People believe that having a religion to back up
bigoted hateful statements makes the statements
okay to make. This is not the case. If I do not hold to
their religious world view, then they cannot dictate to
me things I should and shouldn’t do. The leaflets they
distribute are anti-homosexual, anti-gender queer,
are hateful and give groups of people with more
aggressive tactics a foundation upon which to base
their bigotry. Institutions such as X preach the curing
of gays or conversion therapy. Both are harmful to
the public’s perception on LGBT individuals and the
individuals targeted.”
Prejudice against gender identity
The following quotes are from respondents describing
how offensive materials (which were motivated by
prejudice toward gender identity) had been distributed.
“Posters about transgender events vandalised with
transphobic slurs.”
“I have found graffiti insulting sexually active women,
homosexuals, transgender individuals and foreign
students. I found it offensive as a sexually active,
liberal woman who believes in the freedom to
express one’s sexuality, religion, ethnicity with pride
without fear of insult or injury.”
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