Campaigners call for support to end unreported abuse against transgender Scots

Around a third of trans victims had been abused more than 10 times, and 94 per cent of victims had been targeted more than once. Despite this, trans people are unlikely to report their experiences to the police, with only 30 per cent saying they had contacted the authorities about abuse. Of the crimes that were reported in 2016, just 30 were referred by police to the Procurator Fiscal in the whole of Scotland, with court proceedings started in 23 cases. In four cases, the perpetrator was issued with a fine, warning letter or referred elsewhere.

Hannah Pearson, policy coordinator at the Equality Network explained why many trans people do not feel comfortable reporting what happens to them.

She said: “Trans people experience higher levels of both verbal and online abuse, as well as sexual assault, and face particular barriers when reporting hate crime, including the fear of being outed as trans, being misgendered and dealing with transphobia during the reporting process itself.”

She said hate crime can only be “fully tackled” by providing greater training to police, healthcare professionals and within the court system, as well as “addressing prejudice and improving community cohesion more widely, including through inclusive school education.”

Her views were echoed by LGBT Youth's Policy and Research Manager Brandi Lee Lough Dennell, who said there was “still work to be done to build transgender young people's confidence in the police, raise awareness of rights, and increase knowledge of the reporting process.”

Her organisation's research with transgender young people showed similar results to the Equality Network's reports, in that victims “may not be aware, for example, of their rights, what constitutes a crime, or what happens after a report is made.”

She added: “[They] may also worry about the response they'll receive from the police or criminal justice systems or may lack the confidence to report.”

In the last six months, Police Scotland has been working to improve reporting within the trans community, and said hate crime was a “key priority” of the force.

In October 2016, they introduced a new scheme with the Equality Network, giving 90 staff extra awareness training on LGBTI issues, enabling them to become liaison officers for LGBTI people who want to report hate crime.

Chief Inspector Alastair Muir, of Police Scotland, said: "We recognise the deep personal impact [hate crime] has on individuals, their families and wider communities. We are aware that all types of hate crime are under reported although some are more prevalent than others.”

He added that members of the LGBTI community who want to report hate crime can request one of the 90 new liaison officers as a point of contact, and said: “We want all members of our communities to feel able to report any incident to us, either directly or through one of our third-party reporting sites which offer support to report hate crimes. We continue to work in partnership with key organisations and individuals to identify ways we can improve how we

deliver services to all transgender communities in Scotland.

“We would encourage anyone who has been the victim of hate crime to report this to Police Scotland or one of our third-party centres.”

'Being raped as a nine-year-old made me determined to seek justice'

CASE STUDY

Natalie Scott was one of the first people in Scotland to secure a conviction against her abuser following a transphobic attack in 2013. The terrifying incident was not the first trauma to happen to the 55-year-old. She has battled and overcome cancer, however the disease made her unable to take hormones and transition fully to female. She was also raped as a child by a window cleaner; an experience which, having opened up about it to friends, made her even more determined to seek justice for the latest abuse she experienced.

As a youngster, Scott used to dress in her mother's clothes and shoes in secret, until one day she was spotted by a window cleaner. The man, under the guise of delivering a letter to the house, forced his way in and raped the nine-year-old boy who was alone at home.

Scott explained: “I just lay on the floor and he said 'If you tell anyone, I'll tell them what I saw you doing'. When you're nine that is terrifying.”

The incident has taken Scott more than 40 years to talk about. However, it made her even more determined to fight against abuse, and she was confident enough to launch a prosecution against a man who attacked her one night at a Glasgow nightclub.

Scott, who lives in Newton Mearns, explained: “I'd been out at a gay club in town, which I was a regular at. I left the club one night, and two young gay men were walking towards me. One said 'Is that a tranny'? I ignored them. The other said 'Are you a fucking man?'

"I turned round and gave them a mouthful.”

Unbeknown to Scott, the nightclub stewards had witnessed the incident and refused the men entry to the club. Two weeks later Scott found herself back in the venue.

“I was lost in my own thoughts, sitting with my drink.” she said. “The next thing I felt someone pulling my hair. They pulled me right over the back of the seat and ripped my hair piece off, then ran away. That was the most humiliating, degrading thing ... It was horrific. They ran away and threw my hair piece down the stairs. One of their friends had been filming it too, probably to try and put it on the internet.”

Security staff helped Scott and reported the incident to the police, where one of the force's LGBT liaison officers took over and convinced her to prosecute. This was one of the “proudest moments” in the 55-year-old charity worker's life, she said.

Since the attack, Scott has continued to work raising funds for LGBT charities, and hosts a regular tombola at the annual Gay Ball, of which she takes great pride. She also supports many young trans people, offering advice and guidance in times of need. The 55-year-old last year won the Spirit Award at the ICON awards for her dedication.

Scott said she can understand why many trans people are afraid of reporting crimes against them, but would encourage more people to come forward. She said: “For many people it's about being in the public eye. The press in the past haven't always reported cases sympathetically. The story is more about the trans person than the abuser. It's changing though.

“I also found when I was at court for my case, it was almost treated as a minor incident, almost a joke. I do put them right though, but not all trans individuals have the backup and perhaps lack confidence to make sure it's treated seriously.

“I found the police LGBT+ liaison officer a great help. I think this service should be promoted more.”