Hate crimes against transgender people in Scotland have increased by almost double since 2015, according to recent figures.
A Freedom of Information request to Police Scotland from the Daily Record revealed that 101 hate crimes with a transgender aggravator were recorded by cops in 2019.
That figure has increased by more than 48% from the number recorded in 2015, where officers received 52 reports.
The force defines a hate crimes as “any crime which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated (wholly or partly) by malice and ill-will towards a social group”.
An LGBT+ organisation fears that trans people face an ‘increasingly hostile and unwelcoming environment’ in Scotland.
Vic Valentine of the Scottish Trans Alliance told the Record: “Unfortunately, these figures reflect what trans people are telling us about experiencing an increasingly hostile and unwelcoming environment across Scotland.
“With the ongoing spotlight on trans people in public life that often relies on outdated, offensive and untrue stereotypes about who trans people are, it is disappointing but not surprising to see the effects of this reflected in the number of hate crimes reported to the police.
“It’s really important that conversations about any minority group are respectful and constructive, to avoid reinforcing negative social attitudes that some people may hold.”
The release of the figures comes a month before public consultation on reforms to the Gender Recognition Act (Scotland) closes.
A draft bill would see the process by which trans people could gain legal recognition of their lived gender through a gender recognition certificate.
The reforms to the act were supported by the majority of the public in 2017/18 when it was put to a similar consultation.
But the plans were shelved temporarily after the proposals faced heavy criticism from a number of prominent politicians from the SNP and Scottish Labour.
Opponents to the bill believe the reforms could harm women's rights to single-sex spaces such as changing rooms and women-only short lists under the Equality Act.
A ministerial foreword on the draft bill reads: “What the Scottish Government is proposing is to amend the way in which a trans person can obtain that Certificate.
“The current system is viewed by many applicants or would-be applicants as demeaning, lengthy, stressful and expensive.
“This proposal is in line with the approach of a number of other countries including the Republic of Ireland, Norway, Malta, Denmark and Belgium. Where that has been done, the impact has been positive for the trans community and without a detrimental impact on others.
“We recognise that there are men who seek to abuse women and we want women to be safe from that violence.
“We have taken the action to change the law to protect women from such abuse. This is a global issue and not a new issue for Scotland or indeed the UK. And it is not the fault of trans people. It is the fault of the abusive men. Which is why we will continue to address violence against women and girls through our Equally Safe strategy which takes a gendered approach."
