One in five LGBTQ+ people have been harassed or faced abuse while travelling on public transport in London in the past year, new research suggests.
Four out of five respondents to the survey by London TravelWatch said they change their behaviour or appearance to “fit in” so they avoid abuse when travelling.
The majority of those who faced some kind of abuse said bystanders witnessed the incident but did not intervene.
Michael Roberts, the Chief Executive of London TravelWatch, said:
“We already knew that LGBTQ+ people had serious concerns about their personal security on public transport, but our findings lay bare the scale of the problem.”
Some groups of respondents were more likely to express they always felt a possible threat of violence and harassment. This was true for trans+ people, deaf and disabled LGBTQ+ people and ethnic-minority LGBTQ+ people.
Siwan Hayward, Transport for London’s Director of Security, Policing and Enforcement, said:
“We want everyone to feel safe and be safe when travelling around London at all times without fear of abuse, and hate crime has absolutely no place on our network.”
“We will continue to work closely with LGBTQ+ groups and stakeholders in response to the London TravelWatch recommendations to ensure that no one ever faces abuse or discrimination for who they are.”
Our new report shines a light on the shocking abuse, harassment and violence faced by many LGBTQ+ people when travelling in the capital.
We have 12 key recommendations for transport and police authorities to adopt. #OutInLondon 🏳️🌈 https://t.co/ngQwccQ6db
— London TravelWatch (@LonTravelWatch) November 16, 2023
Fear of reporting incidents to the police was also a common theme in the survey.
The passenger watchdog said many LGBTQ+ people it spoke to have little confidence or trust in the police. As a result, incidents on London’s public transport network often go unreported.
More than four in five respondents who said they were victimised on public transport in the past year did not report their experiences to the police. They said they felt the police would not be able to do anything or feared about how they might be handled.
Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Furnell of British Transport Police said: “Preventing and tackling hate crime is a British Transport Police priority. Everyone has a right to travel without fear. No one should be subjected to violence or harassment because of who they are.”
“We work closely with LGBT charities and the community to ensure that we understand the issues that they face and can take proactive steps to prevent hate crimes.”
“Our officers are ready to respond to incidents of hate crime immediately and with access to more than 150,000 CCTV cameras across the rail network they can quickly identify offenders and make arrests.”
