"I'm going to kill you, you dirty fag", "You don't deserve to live": complaints of insults, threats or attacks on LGBT + people have doubled in five years, but only reflect a small part of the reality according to data published Monday, May 16, on the eve of the World Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.

Last year, 2,170 crimes and offenses against lesbians, gay, bi and trans were recorded by the police and the gendarmerie, to which must be added 1,620 fines, more than 90% for insult or defamation.

This is 12% more than in 2019 (before the Covid-19 crisis) and 28% more than in 2020, according to statistics published Monday by the Ministry of the Interior.

These figures are only "the tip of the iceberg", notes Flora Bolter, from the LGBT + observatory of the Jean-Jaurès Foundation.

According to the "Living environment and security" survey, only 20% of victims file a complaint in the event of aggression or threats, and 5% in the event of an insult: the people concerned "feel guilty", are afraid of being hurt. received by the police or are faced with a minimization of the facts they denounce, analyzes Lucile Jomat, the president of the association SOS Homophobia.

Lesbians, gays, bi, trans or intergender people are “increasingly visible, which contributes to trivialization”, but the “flip side of visibility” is an increased risk of aggression which leaves victims often “traumatized and distraught “, adds this manager.

"When we work in schools, we meet more and more young people who are very open, but also intolerant people: there is a polarization", she adds, for whom the fight against homophobia "supposes means", to "move society forward through awareness and education campaigns".

Last year, 1,138 LGBTphobic situations were reported to the association, on its listening line, by mail or chat, details SOS Homophobia.

"Stereotypes and received ideas are still alive"

In its annual report, the association mentions "spitting", an intensification of assault and battery and even rape, as well as an "alarming resurgence of cases in schools […], in shops or within the police and righteousness".

Notable fact this year, more than 15% of the situations reported concern transgender people, which, according to SOS Homophobia, demonstrates the need for more training for the professionals concerned.

For example, to prevent trans people from being refused a change of first name by the administration.

Even at home, LGBT people are not immune to insults and bullying: homophobic hatred from neighbors gave rise last year to "particularly poignant testimonies of distress" collected by the association FLAG!, created by LGBT police and justice officials.

With the health crisis, "many people have found themselves stuck at home teleworking, behind closed doors with violent neighbors, who threaten, who hit", says Flora Bolter, who analyzed the 1,148 reports received in 2021 by FLAG! .

"There are desperate people who talk about suicide because they have been living in this climate of hatred and harassment sometimes for years."

The testimonies collected by FLAG!

via a dedicated app also highlight multiple situations of discrimination, such as this pharmacist who refuses to sell an HIV self-test because "we don't have that kind of clientele", or this nightclub bouncer expelling a couple of men on the grounds that they are kissing.

“Stereotypes and preconceived ideas are still alive,” notes the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights (CNCDH), in a report also published on Monday.

The Commission warns of the "risks of abuse and violence in prisons" where there is a "culture of hyper-masculinity" and where the guards "sometimes contribute to the stigmatization" of homosexual people and transgender women.

To remedy this, the CNCDH recommends that any transgender detainee "be able to choose to be assigned to an establishment or district corresponding to their gender identity, whether the change of civil status has taken place or not".

With AFP

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